The Makings of a Family
by fanatic218
Summary: Callen gets to know the neighborhood in an unfortunate way; when his beautiful neighbor comes to him for help finding her missing foster son. The two develop a bond that neither can explain nor ignore. Callen/OC Callen centric, but team is in here too!
1. Chapter 1

_A/N~ So this is hands down the longest single chapter I have ever written. I've had this idea for a while, and just sat down and decided to put it into words. I really want to make this a multi-chapter story, and not just three or four, but I know I probably won't have too much time to dedicate to it, and it isn't fair to everyone who is following my story to have to wait a month for a short chapter update, so I'll probably do just a few chapters that are really long. Hopefully it will be easier to get a lot done in a few long periods of time than lots of short ones, but who knows. I do promise to put up chapter two soon though; I already have an outline (in my head), so it should go pretty quick. When I started writing this, I had a one sentence idea, and now its eleven pages long in my word document. Who knew? Anyways, I hope you guys like this! It's Callen-centric, but the rest of the team is definitely involved. Enjoy!_

**The Makings of a Family**

He didn't know how long he sat there on one of the only pieces of furniture in his house, just looking at the picture. Callen wished he knew more, but this photo of his mother...it was enough for the time being. His brain, as quick as it was, was still trying to process everything. Of everyone in NCIS, he trusted Hetty the most. Well, Sam too, but the trust was somewhat different. Sam was his partner, Hetty was his guide.

A sudden knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts. The knocking was hard and urgent, instantly setting him on his guard. Drawing his gun, he made his way towards the door, staying out of sight from the windows. Carefully, opening the door, he was shocked to see a woman at his door. A beautiful one at that. Absolutely gorgeous.

"Can I help you?" he asked, still a bit hesitant.

"I can't find my son," the woman said, near tears. Callen, sensing her panic, quickly put his gun into the waistband of his belt, opening the door more to step out onto the porch. "I'm about the call the police, but I wanted to make sure no one else in the neighborhood had seen him first. He's six, blond hair, hazel eyes. His name is Seth" Now she was crying.

Callen lifted the hem of his shirt to show her his badge. "I'm a federal agent, NCIS. When did you last see him?"

The woman took a breath, then said, "Five minutes ago. We were outside playing tag, and now he's gone. My daughter is with the old woman across the street now." Callen lightly gripped her arm.

"It's going to be ok, take a deep breath. I'm going to call in my team, and we'll handle it personally," he said pulling his cell from his pocket. Deciding whether to call Hetty or Sam, he took one more look at the woman, clearly about to go into hysteria, he silently said screw it and typed in Hetty's number. "Have any unrecognizable car's come by the street around the time he went missing?" he asked waiting for the team leader to pick up.

The woman shook her head, then returned to scanning the street for the missing boy.

"Hetty, it's me. Send Sam, Kenzi, and Deeks here now. Missing six-year old boy, was outside and disappeared about five minutes ago. Put road blocks and check points around the outside of my neighborhood."

"Your neighborhood, Mr. Callen?" Hetty asked with some amazement in her voice.

"Neighbor's kid. Have Erik and Nell at the ready too."

"Of course, Mr. Callen. Sam and the rest of them are on their way now."

"Thanks, Hetty," he said before hanging up.

"I have people on their way. Let's search the rest of the neighborhood while they get here, ok?" She nodded her head, still tense and on the verge of a panic attack. They ran in to the sidewalk, turning down the next street yelling the boy's name over and over. The screech of tires pulled Callen's attention to Sam's car pulling up the curb, Kenzi's not far behind it. Sam was out within seconds, right by his side.

"Agent Sam Hanna, NCIS," he said walking up the woman.

"Evelyn Franks," she said, accepting his handshake. Sam gave her a reassuring smile.

"Deeks, I want you in the woods." Turning to Evelyn, he said, "can you go with Agent Blye back to your house in case Seth comes back home?" Seeing her hesitation to stop searching for her son, he continued. "It's going to be ok. We've been through this before. Agent Hanna and I will keep on searching out here. We'll find him." She took a few deep breaths and nodded. Callen motioned to Kenzi to come to her, and Deeks took off into the small wooded area.

"Agent Blye?" the woman said to Kenzi. She nodded.

"Lead the way."

Watching them walk away, Callen turned to Sam. "It's been close to half and hour. We need to get moving."

/

"Can I get you anything to drink, Agent Blye?" Evelyn asked. She seemed to be more put together than when Kenzi had first arrived, but understandably, was still a mess.

"If you have a water, that would great. Thank you. And please call me Kenzi."

"Kenzi," the woman said with a small smile. She handed Kenzi a water bottle and the two sat down in the living room.

"Is this him?" Kenzi asked, picking up a framed photo from the coffee table. It was a picture of Evelyn and two young children, a blond haired boy, whom she assumed to be Seth, and a baby girl, possibly only a year old. Evelyn nodded.

"Seth and Natalie. They are siblings; I'm their foster mother. They came to me a year ago just after Natalie was born when they were taken away from their mother because of neglect. Their father has never been part of their lives. I'm in the process of adopting them as my own." She wiped more tears from her eyes. Suddenly, she inhaled and covered her mouth.

"Oh my god! Has someone from his mother's past taken Seth? They came into foster care because no family members could be contacted, does someone want him now?"

"Evelyn, calm down. If you've had them with you for this long with no problem, then it's not likely. We'll check into it though. Let me just make a phone call. Don't worry - we'll find him. Unfortunately, we have situations like this often, so we know what to do." Dialing Erik, she relayed over Seth's name and mother. Erik said he'd call back with information as he got it. Next she called Callen, and gave him a quick run down of what she knew so far. To her surprise, he seemed shocked to find out that Seth wasn't Evelyn's biological son. Obviously, he had just met her that day and called them in before he even talked to her about their situation.

Coming back into the living room, she saw Evelyn on the phone and waited to ask her some more questions.

"Sorry," she said hanging up. Natalie is with our neighbor; I just asked her to bring her back over. Kenzi nodded, following the woman's gaze to the door as they heard a knock and an elderly voice call for Evelyn, who ran to the door to take her soon-to-be daughter. Kenzi couldn't help but smile at the beautiful little girl in the woman's arms.

"She's adorable," she said, trying to change the subject and distract the woman from her anxiety.

"Yes, she is. Fifteen months as of last Thursday. She adores her big brother," she said with watery eyes. Kenzi went in for another subject change.

"Have you met Agent Callen before today?"

Evelyn shook her head. "I've only seen him out a few times mowing the lawn or coming in or out. I've felt horrible not doing any 'welcome to the neighborhood' thing when he moved in a few months ago, but with two little kids, social workers coming and going, and a job, it's hard enough to keep the house somewhat presentable. Sorry about the mess, by the way. I meant to apologize about that earlier when you almost tripped over that lego set," she said sheepishly.

"It's not a problem," Kenzi said grinning.

"Anyways, I tried to make cookies one time, but he wasn't home and then Seth ate them all when I wasn't paying attention. Poor guy had a upset stomach for the next two days because of all the sugar," she chuckled at the happy memory. Natalie started to fuss, and both women made cooing sounds to sooth the baby girl. "Do you want to hold her?"

"Can I?" asked Kenzi, extending her arms. Evelyn nodded and handed her over to the agent.

"You're a natural," she said after a while when the one year stopped fussing and took great attention in playing with Kenzi's long hair.

"Thanks," she said laughing. She was making funny faces at the baby when her phone rang in her pocket. Handing Natalie back to Evelyn, she pulled it out.

"Hey Sam."

/

Meanwhile, Callen and Sam took charge in the streets searching for the boy as LAPD backup arrived. G got a call from Erik confirming that there wasn't anyone connected to his biological mother looking for him. He and Sam broke up from the group and began a search down another street.

"So I take it you just met her?" Sam asked conversationally.

"Just met who."

"Don't play dumb with me. Evelyn Franks. SETH?" he called out.

"SETH? Ok, sure. Met her for the first time today. Not officially though. I didn't even get her name before I called Hetty and you came up and introduced yourself. SETH?"

"You mean to tell me you've lived in this area for almost a year and haven't met the woman who lives catty-corner? SETH?"

"You know I'm not the most sociable person. I'm only at home to sleep and get the occasional meal. I practically live at the OPS center. SETH?"

"SETH? She's a beautiful woman. SETH?"

"A beautiful woman who's missing a son. SETH?"

"Yeah, but come on. We find him, you're the hero, you take her out to dinner, ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom...SETH?"

"Then she learns details of what I actually do for a living, that I know more about guns than my own family history, and work 100 hours a week. That just spells great role model for two young children. SETH?"

"SETH? You also know what it's like to be in foster care. And ever since Kenzi told us that little tid bit thats all you've been able to think about, just admit it."

"Okay, Sam. Yeah, I've thought about it. The fact that none of my foster parents would have cared that much to be so upset if I went missing or even wanted to adopt me has crossed my mind. But can we please focus on finding this kid? SETH? SETH!"

Sam put his hands up in defense. "If that's how you want to play it, then fine. But this conversation is far from done. SETH?" Callen suddenly stopped and put his hand up.

"Did you hear that?" Sam stayed quiet for another minute before he heard a small cry too, and immediately both agents ran off towards the whimpering.

"G," Sam said quietly, jerking his chin towards a small blond haired boy curled in a tight ball crying behind a tree. He was hugging his knees, his head buried into his chest. Callen carefully made his way to the little boy, not wanting to frighten him. He crouched down in front him, making sure his gun and badge were covered up.

"Hey little man. Are you Seth?" His voice was soft and comforting, and Sam couldn't help but smirk. That was so unlike G.

The boy nodded his head. "Mommy said I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," he said with a slight lisp. Callen smiled.

"Your mommy is right, it's very dangerous. So is running away. Can you tell me what happened?" he prompted.

"I want my mommy!" Seth wailed.

"Sam, get Evelyn on the phone," Callen said.

/

"Hey Sam."

Evelyn held her breath, hoping for the best but fearing the worst.

"You did?...Great...Ah, that is too cute...yeah, here she is." She turned to Evelyn. "It's for you," she said with a big smile.

"Seth?"

"Mommy!"

"Seth! Where are you? And what were you thinking? Why did you run away sweetie?" She was close to tears, but this time of relief.

"I sorry mommy. I saw a butterfly, and I want to get it for you for a surprise 'cause you like butterflies and I gotted lost."

"Oh, sweetie! It's ok, don't try, mommy isn't mad. I was really scared that something happened to you - you can't leave ever again, do you understand? Ever, ok? Are you with Agent Callen and Agent Hanna?"

"Yes, mommy. I am allowed to talk to them? You said not to talk to strangers."

"That's right, good boy. Yes, you can talk to them; let them take you home, okay?"

"Okay, sweetie. Mommy will see you soon, okay?"

"Okay, mommy. I love you."

"I love you too, sweet boy. Come on home now."

When Evelyn hung up the phone, she slid down the refrigerator to the ground, covering her face in her hands and began to sob. Kenzi sat down next to her with the baby and wrapped an arm around her, letting her cry. After a few minutes, Evelyn began to sort herself out.

"I'm sorry, I never cry. I was just so scared...and now I'm so relieved...but all the worst possible scenarios are still running through my mind...and I..." she began to hiccup and wiped more fiercely at her eyes and cheeks.

"Hey, hey, hey. He's ok. I can't imagine what you were going through, but just remember that he is ok. You really lucked out knocking on the right guy's door," she said with a smile, which the woman returned.

"I can't thank Agent Callen enough. I was truly in a panic when I knocked on his door. Gosh, he really saved my son. And thank you, Kenzi, for keeping me somewhat sane. I owe all of you so much."

"No, you don't. I know I speak for all of us when I say that we're all glad Seth is ok," she said squeezing the other woman's hand.

At knock at the door caused both of them to jump up. Evelyn ran to the front hallway while Kenzi hung back with Natalie, bouncing the little girl on her hip.

Nearly ripping the door off it's hinges, Evelyn threw it aside and flung herself at her son, wrapping her arms around him, not noticing for a moment that Callen was holding the boy, so really her arms went around both of them.

Sam raised his eyebrows but smirked to himself, letting himself into the house to find Kenzi and give them some 'alone time,' if he could call it that. There had to be a spark. Callen was a good guy, a great guy, but to personally take point on a case that was completely outside of their jurisdiction was saying something - something big. Oh yeah, G definitely saw something in her.

/

Evelyn stepped back from the embrace, slightly embarrassed. Reaching for her (almost) son, Callen handed the boy over, who had fallen asleep in his arms on the way back. Evelyn clutched him tightly, as if she didn't he would slip away.

"He fell asleep on the way back. I think he's really tired, understandably. A lot has happened in the last hour," Callen said.

She looked up at him with watery eyes. "Thank you," she whispered. "I thought I lost him before I really actually had him. I really can't thank you enough Agent Callen."

"No thanks necessary. I'm glad he's ok. And call me Callen," he said leaning against one of the pillars on the porch.

"Okay, Callen. Do you have a first name?"

"Thats a good question," he mused more to himself than her, staring off for a moment. Instead of pushing, Evelyn stayed silent for moment, wondering what past this man could have, and if she'd ever know.

"Come on inside, make yourself comfortable. I'll get you something to eat and drink, and I don't think you can refuse; Kenzi already agreed for everyone in advanced," she said with a warm smile, which he returned with a knowing nod of his head.

"Yeah, she can be somewhat demanding. I don't know how her partner Deeks does it all the time." He froze. "DEEKS!"

/

"Thanks guys. I really appreciate the curtsey call. 'Hey man, we found the kid. An hour ago.' I could have about half as many burrs on me right now, but no, everyone just decided to forget about all the hard work Detective Marty Deeks was doing, combing through the haunted woods-"

"-of suburban LA. Stay still, Brave Heart, there's still a few on your back," Kenzi said with a good natured eye roll as she used a pair of tweezers to pick off the burrs into the trashcan, occasionally pinching the man 'by accident'.

"How long have they been married?" Evelyn whispered jokingly to Callen. The two sat next to each other on the couch, a sleeping Seth in her lap (she basically refused to let him out of her sight), and a drowsy Natalie in Callen's lap. He was surprised when Evelyn offered her up to him to hold, and was a bit awkward holding her at first. Usually, Deeks was the one who did everything with the kids; practically being one himself gave him a knack for this kind of thing, but today it was Callen's turn. After a while, he got used to little girl who took interest in his buzzed hair, giggling every time it tickled her hand when she went to touch it. He even made a few funny faces at her when he thought no one was looking.

"Hard to tell, they completely bypassed the honeymoon stage and went more into the fifty plus years stage. It's kind of cute, if it didn't make me sick," he joked back. She quietly laughed, combing her fingers through Seth's hair.

"He's probably out for the night, and I need to accept that he won't disappear if I take my eyes off of him. I'm putting to bed, be right back," she said, moving to pick the boy up and stand at the same time. She gave him a small smile and she walked off down the hallway.

Sam came back in the house after sorting things out with the local PD just as Evelyn walked back into the living room.

"Everything is all set from our end. Is there anything else you need?" Sam asked her.

"No, thank you Agent Hanna. I can't stop saying that - thank you. Honestly," she said shaking her head. He smiled.

"Don't mention it. Comes with the job. G, I've gotta take off. See you at OPS tomorrow. I'll update Hetty, too."

"Thanks Sam," he said, quickly turning his attention back to the now sleeping baby.

Deeks and Kenzi shared a look before Deeks said, "We better take off too. Ms. Franks, thank you for the tweezers and superman bandaids. Callen, I will be stopping at your place to steal a beer before we leave to ease the pain of a thousand needles cutting into my skin, and we're off!"

"Evelyn, let's get lunch or coffee sometime and exchange shoe stores. And really, if you want Natalie off your hands for any length of time, call me. Seriously, she is too cute. Seth too, though I'm sure he's going to be attached to your hip for a while," she said with a smile.

"I left my number on the counter, Kenzi. Call me and we'll go out for sure. I'll bring Natalie when we do, too!"

Soon the only two were Callen and Evelyn, who sat in comfortable silence for a while as he continued to rock her daughter. Deciding to break the silence, he asked, "what made you decide to become a foster mother?"

She paused and took a deep breath, exhaling before she answered. "I went in foster care when I was eight. I got separated from my older sister, who was eleven, after the first home we were in. Some of the places I lived were nice; the foster parents were good people who truly did love children, but I always got sent back when I was with those kinds of families because they had too many kids. Other homes I was in weren't as good." She was somber for a moment, remembering the type of place she used to have to call home. Unbeknownst to her, Callen knew exactly what she was talking about. "I always knew that I couldn't - I wouldn't - let other kids grow up in a place like that with those kinds of people. I've had a four foster kids before I got Seth and Natalie, but only temporarily. I wasn't expecting any them to go back to their parents, but one of them did. The other three were siblings and got adopted by their aunt, moving to Wisconsin. Seth and Natalie's parents can't get them back, and no one has stepped forward for them. After a year, I couldn't imagine my life without them, and started the adoption process a few months ago to make sure they could stay with me."

Callen didn't know what to say. As strange as it was, he had never met another 'normal' adult who had grown up in foster care like him. Knowing what she meant when she said there were 'not so nice' families, he felt a stab in his gut understanding what she probably went through as a young girl.

"Do you still have your shoes?" He knew she would know what it meant. The shoes they all had, every kid who was in the system long enough did, that the addresses and family names were on. They made eye contact for a long time, and Evelyn knew he let her in on something he didn't usually share.

"There on the top shelf of my closet. Yours?"

"Same."

They stayed quiet for a while, reflecting on the years they mostly wanted to forget, never breaking eye contact. Suddenly, she dropped eye contact and her breathing became rigid. Callen could see more tears starting in her eyes, and immediately knew what was wrong.

"You're a good mother, Evelyn. You're not going to become one of them. You deserve these kids."

"How can you say that? I lost Seth today. I _lost_ him. He was alone, and scared, and I wasn't there for him. What kind of mother is that?"

Callen shifted Natalie so he could turn his entire body to face Evelyn, grabbing her hand with his free one. "Hey, look at me," he said. It was hard to look at the pain in her eyes when she finally did, but he knew he that he was the only one who knew what she was afraid of, so he was the only one who could make her feel differently. "You said there were good families, and there are. The difference between the good families and the bad ones comes down to one thing: love. Those families, they loved us, and because of that they did what they could to protect us. You love Natalie and Seth - nothing is going to change that. The best parents loose their kids. Seth didn't run away because you neglected him, or yelled; he was chasing a butterfly to give to you because he loves you so much. You haven't done anything but teach him how to love, and that's what will always make you different from those foster parents. Okay?"

"Thank you, Callen," she whispered, lightly touching his cheek. He reached up to wipe the tears on her cheeks, not moving his hand when he was done. The moment was getting extremely personal, extremely quickly. Everything in Callen was saying bolt, get away before he got too involved, before he could get hurt or hurt her. So why didn't he?

"Mommy?"

Seth's voice pulled them apart; Callen immediately shifted away from her, focusing on Natalie in his lap and Evelyn left off the couch as if it were on fire, making her way around it to get to her son.

"Seth, sweetie, is everything ok?"

"I's thirsty mommy," he said with a small whine. She nodded and got a sippy cup from the cabinet, filling it with water and ushering the six-year old back to bed. When she came back in the room, Callen was standing by the couch with Natalie in his arms.

"I should probably get going. It's getting pretty late."

"Right, yeah. Um, I'm sorry about earlier. I hope I haven't come off as a total basket case," she said with a nervous laugh.

"Not at all," he said with a small smile. "Where should I bring her?" Callen asked, gesturing with his chin to the sleeping baby.

"Follow me, if you don't mind," she said turning down the same hallway she had just came from, turning into a light pink room with elephants, lions, and other animals everywhere on the wallpaper, stuffed animal form, and blankets. Callen placed the little girl in the crib, watching as Evelyn carefully tucked the blanket around her, stroking her growing hair once before pulling back and turning to him. "Thank you, Callen. For absolutely everything."

He smiled as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're welcome. Call me, okay?" She nodded.

"Good night, Evelyn," he said before leaving.

"Good night, Callen."

_A/N~ So yes, I got a bit sappy towards the end. Hope that's ok. Chapter two will be up soon - in the meantime, please review and tell me what you think!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N~ So, um, one review for my last chapter. I write for myself as a kind of outlet, but really, if you have ANY comments, hate it, love it, whatever, please share. If there were any major problems with the last chapter (or people just aren't reading it), I tried to fix Callen to be more in character. Rereading how he and Evelyn interacted kind of bugged me - he's not a open guy, and I don't really want her to have the whole damsel in distress thing either. Anyways, I hope this chapter goes over better. PLEASE drop me a line!_

**Next Morning**

"Mr. Callen?"

Callen stopped in his tracks, sighing before he turned around to face Hetty, who he swore was not in the when he came down the stairs not five seconds ago.

"Yes, Hetty? You need something?" he asked, his voice thick with some remaining annoyance.

"Mr. Callen, I hear the case you took on regarding the little boy worked out to your liking." Callen was starting to get the feeling that she knew a whole lot more than that.

"Hetty, if there's something you aren't telling me..."

"Mr. Callen, I assure you I know as much about Ms. Franks as the next old woman - believe it yet or not, I do not with hold everything from you," she said with a pointed look. Callen took a deep breath, shaking his head.

"Hetty..." his thought was caught off by Erik's whistle to round everyone up for their next case. "We'll talk," he said before walking away.

/

**Three Days Later**

"Seth, NO! Get down from there! You're going to fall!"

"But mommy..." the little boy pleaded.

"Hey, little man, come say hi?" Callen said walking up behind Evelyn and Natalie. Evelyn whipped her head around giving him a small smile and shifting the baby on her hip. They had gone to the playground a few blocks from their home, and Seth had decided to take up climbing on the top of the monkey bars, a sure way to fall.

"Hi Mr. Agent Callen!" Seth yelled jumping down to run up to the man. He stopped short a few feet in front of him and his foster mother to give him a shy grin and wave. Crouching down to his level, he said, "You can call me Callen. You having fun at the park, bud?" to which the boy nodded enthusiastically.

"Will you watch me on the slide?"

"You bet," he responded, chuckling as the boy ran off. "How's he doing?" Callen asked Evelyn.

"Fine," she said letting out a breath. "He completely forgot the whole ordeal by noon the next day," she said shaking her head.

"To be young again, right?" he said, and they both lightly laughed. "And how are you?"

"Better. For the most part. I just have to keep reminding myself that he is a six year old boy, and will spend enough time locked away in his room once he's a teenager, and then I freak out all over again." Walking over a bench, the two sat down with more distance between each other than the other night. Natalie started to giggle, reaching for Callen like she did then. Evelyn passed her over to him as the little girl began touching his buzzed hair again.

"I'm sorry I didn't call," Callen said. He didn't want to beat around the bush; there were things he wanted - needed - to clear up. "We started working a new case the next day, and I don't have much extra time during them." She waved her hand dismissively.

"I know you're busy; I am too, and I didn't exactly call you either," she said. "To be honest I was a bit embarrassed. I'm never so...open. With my past or my emotions. It was a little weird." She scrunched her nose and shook her head. Callen snorted.

"I was a bit out a character, too. That was another reason why I needed to see you now instead of later." He took a deep breath and shifted himself and Natalie to face the beautiful woman. "Evelyn, my job is my life. It's who I am, but it's dangerous. I don't have close friends outside of my team, I don't associate with many people unless I'm building a cover or getting information on a case, and I definitely don't have relationships. I can't. What I do for the most part isn't top secret, but it's not something I could ever tell someone about." Why was this so hard? Callen looked away from her, though she wouldn't have know. A few sentences in, she dropped her eyes and began to watch Seth on the playground. "I'm not going to deny that the other night I felt something. Honestly, I did. But I - we - can't. I'm so sorry," he finished. He chanced a glance back at her face. It drove him crazy - he barely knew this woman, but the connection he felt with her was unparalleled to anything else.

Evelyn was quiet as she tried to digest everything he had just told her. She mentally cursed herself for thinking selfishly when she remembered there were two very important things that changed her answer: Seth and Natalie. She wan't on her own anymore; there were two little children who were dependent on her for safety and stability - becoming involved with a federal agent compromised both of those. Not that she didn't think he would keep them safe, but like he said, his job was dangerous. She had no idea what that pertained, but assumed it meant he had powerful and connected enemies. The bitch of it was that she felt their connection too. She wanted to say, "forget the danger, I'm all in, right here right now," but instead she nodded.

"You're right, Callen. I can't risk any danger when it comes to Seth and Natalie. They need stability too. It was...completely inappropriate to hang over you that night. I-" Callen cut her off.

"I'm the one who took advantage of your fear of almost losing your son, didn't I? It was my fault for letting things progress, not yours," he said with determination. She smiled.

"How about we take equal blame and put it behind us?" She wanted this conversation to end. Now.

"Sure thing, neighbor," he said with a tight smile. The tense moment was broken up when his phone shrilled in his pocket. Handing Natalie back to Evelyn, he dug it out of his pocket and checked caller ID. "I have to take this. I guess I'll see you around," he said getting up with an apologetic look, to which she nodded a bit too enthusiastically.

"Yeah, ok. I'll see you around," she said. "Bye Callen."

"Bwye bwye." The little voice tore him away from the phone just as he was about to flip it open. Both adults looked in shock at Natalie - they were the first recognizable words she had said to him. She said_mama_ and _Weth_for Seth along with other words, but most of her speech was incoherent. Evelyn recovered first, smiling and cooing words of praise to the little girl. Callen continued to stare in shock as mixed emotions ran through him. He didn't notice the call was sent to voicemail before it began to ring for a second time, again pulling him from the two.

"Bye bye, Natalie," he said, still shell-shocked before answering his cell and walking off to his car.

"This is Callen."

_A/N~ Hope you guys liked it! Chapter three will be up within the week!_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N~__First__off:__THANK__YOU__to__all__of__my__reviewers__and__all__of__you__who__have__put__this__story__on__your__Story__Alerts__and__Favorites!__I__'__m__so__glad__people__are__liking__this,__and__I_really_appreciate__the__reviews!_

_Secondly: I am SO SORRY that this chapter has taken so long to come up. I was trying to make it perfect (which I don't think it is, but enough was enough). Thanks for putting up with me guys!_

_Anyways, enjoy, and please don't forget to leave me a review!_

Throwing his keys on the table, Callen remained standing in the front hallway of his house for quiet some time, thinking about his conversation with Hetty after their last case. He meant what he said - he knew he wasn't ready to have a family, and he'd already spoken to Evelyn about how dangerous it would be.

Callen wasn't usually one to drink alone, but that was exactly what found himself doing: abandoning his usual beer for a stronger shot of whisky. Just a few though - he could never be wasted enough to let his guard down.

He sat in the only kitchen chair playing with the now empty cup in his hands thinking about how things would be different without all the reasons why he wouldn't - couldn't - start a relationship with the beautiful woman across the street. He wanted one, that was for sure. He wanted be able to call her beautiful, hold her hand as they walked to the park with Seth and Natalie, help get the kids ready for school and bedtime, caress her, stay up late talking, share secrets and stories, make love to her...

Callen let himself get carried away with the fantasy, forgetting for a moment why it was such a bad idea. And they all finally came crashing down on him.

His job. He imagined leaving in the middle of the night for a case, and her waking up alone and disappointed, coming home late and not being able to talk about what was going on, having her worry and get suspicious about strange phone calls, disappointing Seth and Natalie by having to leave during soccer games early, cut out during play time at the park, or skip story time, and worst of all, setting all of them up for a disastrous phone call or visit bound to happen from Sam or Hetty if something were to happen on duty.

The danger. Threats, stalkers, wire taps, coming home to a trashed house or an intruder, or being followed by some of his enemies who wanted something to hurt him with. Evelyn or one of the kids taken for to be used against him - being asked to trade a government secret for the life of someone he . . . loved.

Not being ready. Not saying he was freaking out about how fast things might be moving, panicking about the closeness between them, the things and secrets she would know about him, and then shutting down, effectively breaking it off and hurting her, but not just her - leaving Seth and Natalie without a father figure. He didn't want to become too consumed by questions about his past that he didn't enjoy his present either.

He cradled his head in his hands, trying with everything in him to block all those scenarios from his mind. Callen knew he had to let whatever he felt for her go. The possibility of her and the kids ending up dead or hurt was too much - and it was a highly probable. Pouring another, a higher, glass of whiskey, he decided to stop thinking and go to sleep.

/

It was Saturday and he was caught up on his paperwork. That always meant one thing for Callen - morning work out and football games. All day. After throwing on a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt, Callen laced up his running shoes and headed out the door for a long run. As he began to jog to the sidewalk, he heard the unmistakable sound of laughter coming from his lovely neighbor's yard. He looked over just in time to see Natalie run (waddle really) - without any support - to Evelyn, who swept the baby girl into her arms, cooing and praising her as Seth sat in the driveway surrounded by several toy trucks. Callen's heart clenched seeing them as a family, and for another glorious moment, he couldn't' remember any of the reasons why he couldn't join them.

Callen caught Evelyn's eye as she spun around again; they both stopped and looked at each other, thinking about their talk in the park, until she decided to break the ice and smile at him, which he couldn't help but return. At that moment, Seth looked up, and upon seeing Callen, leapt up and ran to him, ignoring his foster mom's instruction to look both ways before crossing the street.

"Mr. Callen! I lost my tooth!" the little boy exclaimed proudly, pulling down his bottom lip to show him the gap.

"Wow, check that out, little man! How'd that happen?" Callen couldn't help but reply.

"It was wiggly, then I bit an apple, and it came out! It was so cool!" he said.

"Sounds like you're a man now, Seth! And you know what? Men always look both ways before they cross the road, okay?" Seth nodded enthusiastically.

"I'm pretty sure if you asked him to jump off a bridge, he'd do it no questions asked," Evelyn said with a light laugh as she walked up to the two with Natalie on her hip. Callen smirked, looking down at the little boy and throwing him a wink, perplexed as to why the six year old seemed to look up to him so much. "Out for a morning run?" she asked, subtly checking him out in the tee shirt that hugged his arms and chest.

"Yeah, low key Saturday. How about you guys?" There was no harm in small talk with a neighbor, right?

Seth cut in for his mother. "We're going to see a movie! And then mommy said we could get ice cream!" It was adorable (not that Callen would _ever_ admit to using that word) how excited the little boy was. Natalie, catching onto her brother's excitement, started to happily squeal and clap her hands together, something that warmed both adult's hearts. "Can you come, Mr. Callen? Mommy, please?"

Both Callen and Evelyn started to babble at the same time, not really making much sense or giving an answer. After an awkward few seconds, they both stopped and Evelyn smiled shyly, saying, "it's up to Mr. Callen, sweetie. He might already have plans for today, but he's always welcome to come." Seth turned expectantly to Callen, who started to panic. He should say no. He should tell the boy he had to go to the office and finish up some nonexistent paperwork and say out of sight for several hours. He should start his morning run _right__now_. But he couldn't do any of those things. He and Sam did things together all the time, and weren't overly concerned about being followed or watched. If he was careful, very careful, he could make this work. A kids movie - it was a one time thing, and he was going for the little boy.

"Okay," he said after a minute, then repeated it, firmer this time, giving all three of them a small smile, which was immediately returned.

"Great! We're going to see the 3-D Puss in Boots movie at 12:15 and then head over to Coolhaus afterwards," Evelyn said. Callen nodded, knowing he would have to meet them there - driving together was a bit too much. "Well, we'll let you get back to your run - this squirmy one has to get ready for a b-a-t-h now, which really means one for both of us," she joked, not realizing her words put a dangerous image into Callen's head. They said their final goodbyes. Callen watched them walk inside before he started to run again, shaking his head to himself. _I__'__m__in__trouble_.

_A/N~ Sorry this was a shorter chapter! I wanted to get something up really quick since it's been a LONG time, much longer than I anticipated. I probably changed how this chapter was going to go a million times, and this is not even close to my original idea. I'll work on chapter 4 coming up soon!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N~ I apologize (again!) for my awful inability to update this story on a regular basis. It takes we a while to get my storyline to flow how I want it to, but I hope it's worth and that you all like it. THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who has put this story, or myself as an author, on alert and their favorites list. That means a TON! I don't think I can adequately express my gratitude towards everyone who has reviewed this story. You all are an incredible inspiration, and thank you. So here, in dedication to all my readers (and especially the reviewers!) here is Chapter 4!_

"Sam, hey," Callen said into the phone, his voice a hushed whisper. He checked over his shoulder to make sure Evelyn was still down the hallway putting the kids to bed. He could hear her talking to Seth, trying to convince him to go to sleep, so he knew she wouldn't be listening to him.

"Yeah, what's up G?" his partner asked.

"I need to ask you something," he said hesitantly. He and Sam usually talked about everything, but this was one subject they rarely touched upon. Sam's family was personal - something the man guarded with everything in him. Sam waited patiently on the other end of the phone, sensing Callen's internal struggle to build up the courage to ask something. "Is it worth it?"

Sam was confused for a minute, trying to figure out what the other man could possibly mean. Slowly, it started to come to him. "Every moment, G, every damn moment."

Callen nodded but stayed silent. He heard Evelyn say goodnight to Seth and close the door, prompting him to say a quick "thanks" to Sam and hang up the phone, taking three long strides into the hallway just as she stepped back into the living room.

In one fluid motion, Callen grabbed her waist with his left hand, pulling her flush against him, his right hand gently caressing her jaw, tilting her head slightly upwards before pressing his lips firmly against hers. It took her but a second to recover from the shock, then wrapped one arm around his shoulders, the other holding the back of his head. Their kiss was fierce and passionate, filled with their longing for one another. Callen parted his lips to run his tongue along her bottom lip, which immediately opened for him. She tilted her head to the side to allow their mouths to fit closer together, the deepening of their kiss contributing to their increasingly frenzied pace. Callen's hand moved from her back to her lower back, the hand on her jaw moving backwards to knot in her hair. The pair leaned back, Callen pressing her body against the wall with his. Evelyn jerked her head upward to disconnect their lips to breath, and Callen grunted his disapproval, but instead moved to her neck, sucking on a spot just below her ear that caused her to moan. Kissing his way back up her face, Callen avoided her lips, smirking as he let out an impatient sigh.

Their lips connecting again, slower and less frenzied this time, they each pulled each other as close towards them as possible. Callen's hand slid down her waist, down the outside of her thigh, and to her knee. As he slowly pulled her leg up to hook around his waist, a small voice pulled them apart as if they had just touched a hot stove.

"Mommy?" Seth said from the doorway of his room. In his superman pj's and firetruck blankie, he looked as innocent as could be, and both adults felt similar stabs of guilt and embarrassment of being caught.

"Seth! Sweetie, is everything okay?" she asked, her breath not yet returned. He nodded.

"I'm not sleepy mommy," he whined, turning up his bottom lip.

"Hey, hey, little man. We're going to the park again tomorrow. You've gotta be all rested up if you're going to be beat in tag, don't you?" Seth's eyes lit up and he nodded. "Well get some rest then! You're going down!" Callen teased.

"No, you are!" Seth said back, giggling and ducking back into his room. Evelyn looked at him, baffled. Afraid that he had overstepped his bounds, he opened his mouth to apologize, but was cut off by her next words.

"That was incredible! He doesn't go to bed that easily for Santa or the Tooth Fairy!" Callen chuckled and swooped into give her another kiss.

"I'm just that good," he replied with a sparkle in his eye. She laughed and nodded, kissing him again. Instead of picking back up where their intensity had left off, they slowly broke off the kiss, resting their foreheads against one another's, lightly panting. They looked at each other for a while, neither knowing how to start the conversation they were bond to have. With one more chaste lingering kiss, Evelyn took Callen's hand and led him over to her couch. They sat facing each other hold hands, playing with each other's fingers.

"I want this to work," Callen said to break the ice.

"Me too," she replied immediately, meeting his eyes and giving him a reassuring smile.

"Evelyn, my job - it's not something I can tell you too much about. I work for the government, NCIS. I sometimes need to do deep cover operation and travel, but I can never tell you who I will be or where I am going. When I get a case, I have to drop everything and go," he said, his eyes pleading with her to understand. He held his breath, but kept going. "I want this to work, and I can get certain protections for you, Seth, and Natalie, but please, just tell me, if it's too much. If you want to back out before this goes any further." He told himself to shut up the entire time he was talking, telling himself to be selfish and not give an out, but he knew this had to be her decision.

"Callen, I . . . I want this. The job, it's part of why I am drawn to you. And I believe you, when you say that you can protect us. I believe you care enough about me, or at least the kids, to be honest about that. And I think it's worth the risk, don't you?" she asked, cupping his cheek with her hand. He nodded, lost for words, before capturing her lips again.

They couldn't get enough of each other, and Callen slowly eased her down so he was lying on top of her on the couch. He shifted his weight off her as not to crush her, balancing himself on his forearms. After a while, Callen felt her hands still on his back, moving around to his chest and giving him a gentle push. Thinking he had shifted too much of is weigh onto her, he lifted part of his body up, put did not tone down the intensity of their kiss. It wasn't until she mumbled his name for a second time that he pulled away, looking at her. She was breathtaking. With her mused hair, flushed cheeks, and kiss-swollen lips, Callen couldn't think of a more beautiful woman he had ever known.

"Um, Callen, I uh . . . I," she said, sputtering. He patiently waited for her as she took a deep breath, signing. "I was an outcast in high school. No one wanted to be around the foster kid, and then in college I was always studying to keep my academic scholarship, and getting out into the real world, I decided to put all relationships on hold until I had a steady job, and then I got the kids," she rambled, talking quicker and quicker, her nervousness showing. "I, uh, guess what I'm saying is that I don't have much experience as far as relationships go, and uh, even less, and by less I kinda mean none, in the, uh, more serious part of relationships, even if I really liked the guy, I just didn't want to, uh, so, uh, I'm sorry, but um . . ."

"No, Ev, don't be sorry. Relax, it's ok, take a deep breath," she instructed softly. Her face was adorably all red from not taking the time to breathe in her small rant and from her embarrassment. She did as he said, finally getting the courage to look at him and give him a small smile, albeit a nervous one. The corner of his lip turned up in response, and he again shifted so he was on longer lying on top of her, but alongside her on the couch. "We'll take it slow, there's no need to feel rushed, or embarrassed, or anything else. You waited, and that's something to be proud of, something I really wish I could say back," he said, truly meaning it. She was relieved to see that unlike anyone else she had had to have this particular conversation with, he wasn't condescending, treating her like a lost little child, and he didn't have a predatory look in his eyes that saw her as a territory yet to be conquered. He made her feel safe and unashamed.

Evelyn nodded, releasing yet another breath she didn't know she holding and genuinely smiled at him, leaning into give him a quick kiss. "Thank you," she whispered against his lips. He hummed a sort of response, kissing her once more.

"I know we still have a lot to talk about," he said sitting up and pulling her with him, "but I think we'll need to let some of this sink in, so I should get going. Besides, I have an early morning errand I need to do before I claim the title "King of Freeze Tag" later tomorrow." She quietly laughed and walked him to the door.

"Of course," she said with a smile, opening the door. "I'm sure it can't be common knowledge around a bunch of government agents that a six-year-old kicked your butt at tag," she joked. He huffed, reminding himself to talk to her later about the small fact that her interactions with his team and other NCIS agents would have to be limited to keep up appearances - meeting with tons of government agents isn't the most under-the-radar lifestyle.

Callen couldn't resist one last lingering kiss before slowly pulling away, walking away backwards until he reached the end of the driveway, then breaking eye contact to walk across the street. He kept looking over his shoulder to see her still standing in her doorway, watching him, her hand on lip, as if she was holding onto their last kiss. Finally making it into his own home, Callen took another look at her before turning out his porch light, watching her retreat back inside and shut the door, before he did the same.

/

Callen walked into the OPS center early the next morning with a purpose. Despite that it was early on a Sunday morning, he knew Eric would be there (not that he actually had real work to do, but because Nell did, so he'd be making up some excuse to be there too), and as for Hetty . . . he just had a feeling.

"I need a favor," he said walking into the tech room. As he suspected, both analysts turned towards him.

"And it doesn't have anything to do with a case, does it?" Eric asked, not knowing what was going. Apparently though, Nell did. Her smug grin told him that much.

"I want you two to encrypt a mobile and landline phone, internet and computer system, car GPS, security system, all the works. It needs to be completely in-hackable. Test it against each other to make sure," he demanded.

"Ok."

"Ok?" Callen was a bit thrown off by Nell's casual agreement so quickly. She shrugged and nodded, repeating, "ok."

"Ok, the numbers are - "

"Got them!" she said. Callen gave her another confused loo. Nell sighed.

"I talk to Kenzi, Kenzi talks to Evelyn," she explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Already?" he asked incredulously.

Nell shrugged again, starting to type as replied, "Kenzi called her this morning to ask if she wanted to get coffee said asked about her night. You should probably talk to you're new girlfriend about resisting interrogation techniques. Kenzi said it only took ninety seconds to break her."

"Huh," was all Callen said in response, still somewhat lost. "Ok, well, get to it . . ." he said, throwing the female tech another half suspicious glance.

"Mr. Callen, you wanted to see me," called out Hetty from the doorway. How she always just _knew_ was disturbing.

"Yeah, your office?" he asked. She nodded and turned to lead the way.

On his way out her hered Eric say in a hushed whisper to Nell, "Callen has a girlfriend?" and a whack, before the only other noise coming from the techs station was the sound of fingers on keyboards and computer beeps.

Callen situated himself in the chair across from Hetty's desk, knowing he could be there for a while. An office in the middle of the OPS center wasn't usually the best place for a personal conversation, but the place was nearly empty.

"When you asked me if I ever considered having a family, I truly didn't think I ever would. And maybe I'm going crazy, but now that's all I've been able to think about," he said getting straight to the point. There was no beating around the bush today, now he was here with a specific goal in mind.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Callen. I do believe you are indeed going crazy, but it's that what love does to all of us," she said with a knowing smile and the tiniest sparkle in her eye. "Evelyn Franks," she said after a pause. Callen nodded. "And all the encryptions are just the first step in protecting her from the harsh world we live in."

"They're to help protect her from me." They were both silent for another moment as Hetty started a pot of strong tea. "When you asked me if I wanted to start a family, I basically said no. I've changed my mind since then. I want this - her and the kids. I know the risks, and she does too. I'm - we're - willing to give us a shot. Hetty . . ."

"Say no more, Mr. Callen," she said, sliding open one of her several desk drawers and pulling out a small stack of papers. She pushed them towards him. "Fill out the relationship request forum to formally inform the director and HR of you're intentions with Ms. Franks to await approval. I'll see that it gets pushed to the top of the important paperwork to be reviewed, seeing as that I, for all it's worth, give my own personally blessing," she said grinning. Callen felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"So this is it?" he asked, leaning forward and snatching up the stack of paper. "I send this into headquarters and everything is settled?"

Sam's snickering as the man passed on his way to his desk caught Callen's attention, and he whipped around, confused at his partners behavior, then turned back to see Hetty chuckling.

"What," he said, trying to catch onto their inside joke. He really didn't like being kept out of the loop.

"Oh, oh, Mr. Callen," Hetty said between laughs. "That is the paperwork to be submitted to me to request the real paperwork," she said, reaching back into her drawer, this time pulling out a second, much larger stack. It would take in hours, if not a few days, to complete that. Callen stared blankly at the huge pile of paper, trying in vain to ignore Sam's continued snickering from his desk as he worked on finishing up an overdue file.

"Good luck to you, Mr. Callen," Hetty said with her trademark grin, shooing him out of her office. He sighed, picking up the first small stack and heading towards the door. On his way out, he stopped and turned to look at Sam, whose eyes had been following him since he left Hetty's.

_Worth it,_ he mouthed. Nodding his thanks to his partner, Callen left the OPS center.

_A/N~ So I'm speeding things up now! I'm not much of a patient person, so I really wanted them to just jump right into the relationship. Sorry if it was a bit OCC for Callen, but oh well. Love makes us a little loco, am I right? Hope you enjoyed it - and please leave me a review!_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N~ I AM SO SORRY this took so long to update. Every time I thought I'd have time to restart this, something came up and it had to get pushed back, so I apologize. I hope this chapter makes up for it, even if it's on the fluffy side._

"And to think, this is just the beginning," Evelyn said as she shook her head, staring at the stack of paperwork on the coffee table. After putting the kids to bed, she and Callen agreed to go through the paperwork for the relationship release form together.

"Afraid so. The worst part is, this is the paperwork to get the actual paperwork. I'll let your guess how thick that pile is," he said with a sigh. Topping off their wine glasses, Evelyn sat next to him on the couch, leaning into his side.

Callen began to read over the first page. He rolled his eyes, as always, when he read the box. "Print full name," he read aloud to her before writing G. Callen. Next. He went through with all the information that he, or anyone else for that matter, knew about himself before he moved onto the part about his job description, security clearance level, current pending cases, etc. On page three, he got to the part asking for information about his _"desired love interest."_ He smirked to himself before again reading aloud.

"Full name."

"Evelyn Christine Franks," she replied, watching him write it down.

"Date of birth?"

"May 16, 1978." Callen smiled; she was just 4 years younger than himself.

"Social Security Number." He was half expecting her not to answer, or to write it down herself, so he was a little surprise when she answered without hesitation. "I hope you don't hand that out to just anyone who asks for it," he said only half joking. She chuckled and shook her head.

"Well you're not just anybody," she said giving him a quick kiss. "Besides," she continued with a small smirk. "If you got someone to hack my phone, computer, and email account so easily, I doubt you would have had any trouble getting my social." Callen winced.

"How can you not be upset about that?" he groaned. He thought when he told her at the park that she acted nonchalantly as to not make a scene, but even afterwards showed no signs that it bothered her. In retrospect, he knew he should have mentioned something about it to her before he had Eric and Nell hack into her cell phone and computer to build up intensive firewalls all over any of her electrical systems. She just shrugged.

"If you hadn't told me, I never even would have known you put some of the protective measures in place, so it's safe to say that they aren't going to be completely life changing. And you did it to keep me and the kids safe - I'm not ever going to get mad at you for that," she said smiling at him as she ran her hand back and forth along the back of his neck, and he leaned in, relieved, to give her a soft kiss. "Next question," she said with a mischievous grin. Shaking his head with a smirk on his face, he moved on.

"Current address - wait! I know this one," he said triumphantly, writing it down. He flipped the page. "Alright, next is important questions. Looks like these are the ones that they put first because one bad answer will automatically disqualify us from sending in a request." She furrowed her brow.

"And if that happens?" she asked worriedly. He gave her a reassuring smile.

"You'll be fine. This is really just to determine if you are a dangerous terrorist or not. And if something doesn't pass for some reason, a few people with a lot of power owe me a favor," he said, winking. "Are you a legal U.S. citizen?"

"Yes."

"What is your country of origin?"

"United States."

"Are you currently, or have you ever been, affiliated with an active or dormant terrorist group, organization, club, meeting, forum, or any other means of communication?"

"No."

"Are you currently planning, been part of a former plan, or wish to be a part of an attack of any kind on United States government, citizens, or land?"

"No."

"Do you submit to a full background check, including running finger prints against government and local databases, medical and financial history checks, traffic and criminal charges, and social network searches?"

"Yes."

"Are you being pressured, coerced, threatened, or bribed to submit to searches or filling this request form?"

"No."

"Are you at least 18 years of age?"

"Are you serious? That's a question?" she asked. He smirked and checked the 'yes' box. The questions went on for three more pages asking for her family history, which took longer than usual because a form had to be filled out for each foster home she lived in.

Two hours and three glasses of wine later, they had finished. Had they not stopped between almost every question for a lingering kiss, it would have gone much quicker. It was only ten o'clock, but Callen wanted to get into the OPS center early to turn in the paper work and hopefully get the real thing by the end of day.

Evelyn walked him to the door, and the two shared a long goodnight kiss before he pulled back to rest his forehead on hers.

"When all this stuff goes through, I'm going to take you out on a real date. No kids, no take out on the couch or park bench - a nice restaurant, just us. How's that sound?" he whispered. She smiled and pulled him into another smoldering kiss.

"Sounds perfect," she said. Callen smiled a genuine smile, one of the many as of late.

"So it's a date," he said backing out the door.

"It's a date," she confirmed, shutting the door. Smiling, she bit on her lower lip to keep from making an uncharacteristic girly squeal. Yes, they had been making out on her couch almost every night for the past week, but tonight, the concrete signing of papers in the first step to what they had together real, and the date, it was a new kind of exhilarating. Checking the locks on the doors and windows like Callen had advised several times since they met, she made her way back to her room to try to sleep.

/

Hetty looked up from her novel when she heard the thud of papers against her desk. In front of her was Callen with a slightly smug look on his face. "Can I pick up the other pile before I leave tonight?" he asked.

"I'll see what I can do, Mr. Callen," she said before returning to her book. After a short moment Callen realized she had nothing else to say, and, though slightly put off, went back to work. He finished some reports, made sarcastic comments to Deeks, ran through a case file with Sam, humored Deeks, and then finally went to a quick workout session with Sam.

Two hours later, spent and a bit sore, he walked back into the main floor of OPS. Tossing his sweat towel in the general direction of the company laundry basket, he made his way to his desk, stopping short when he saw the gigantic pile of paperwork. Though he was happy that this was next step of his relationship with Evelyn, he couldn't suppress a groan. That was a lot of paper.

/

"Hey," Evelyn said as she began to open the door for him, then did a double take at all the paper in his arms. Even his very large hands could barely hold it all. She gave it a weary eye as he kissed her cheek.

"I know. Want to get started after they go to bed," he asked. She nodded and gave him a real kiss before leading him inside.

They ate dinner together with the kids, and Callen tried coaxing Natalie into taking a few steps towards him. Thrilled to have his favorite person over another night, it took forever to put Seth to bed. When he was finally down for the count, Evelyn again joined Callen on the couch with a glass of wine, just like the night before.

"Ok - lets get started."

/

By the next Monday, everything was done. Callen turned in the paperwork Friday, Evelyn's official background check was finished by the end of the day, and everything was cleared by HR first thing after the weekend. Saturday, Callen had called Kenzi to set up a day during the week that she could watch the kids while they had their first date. He then made reservations at seven on Tuesday for a nice, but not overly expensive, restaurant downtown.

Almost in a state of panic, Evelyn threw the door open at six-twenty, pulling Kenzi into the house with a speed and force that surprised the highly trained agent.

"I'll be honest - I haven't been on a date in over a year. I don't know what to wear, what to order, how to flirt, or how to act. I need help," Evelyn said looking at Kenzi as if she held all the secrets to the dating universe. Kenzi bit her lip and momentarily distracted herself by picking up Natalie as she began to fuss.

"Um, ok. Well, for starters, change your shoes. High heels are sexier than flats. Everything else looks great, but put on a redder lip stick. Act like you normally would if you guys were jus eating dinner here; same for flirting." That was really the best advice she could give.

"You already know Callen, so you don't have to worry about stupid get-to-know-you small talk, just go from where you left off last. And let him pay. There's really no fighting that anyways. And you don't have to worry about putting out until the third date." There. She did her civil duty. Evelyn gave her an unimpressed look.

"Thanks," she said sarcastically as she put on a pair of black heels. "Better?" she asked, opening up her make up case in the bathroom.

"Much," Kenzi said cooing at the baby. Just then, a knock on the door caused her to look up and Evelyn to snap up from bending away from the mirror as she applied the last of her lipstick.

"He's here," she muttered nervously as she walked from her bedroom to the door, Kenzi not too far behind her but stopping in the living room where Seth was already watching an animated movie.

Callen's mouth went dry when Evelyn opened the door. She was truly beautiful. Her caramel hair was slightly curled, pieces framing her perfect face and (deliciously) red lips. The dark blue silky top hugged her generous chest and slim stomach, stopping just as her tight black jeans began.

Evelyn too was caught up in taking in his appearance as well; he wore dark wash jeans, trading in her normal tennis shoes for a nice pair of dress shoes. She smiled as she noticed that his pressed dark blue dress shirt matched hers perfectly, though neither had planned it.

"You look beautiful," he said breaking the silence.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she breathed, allowing her eyes to flutter closed as he drew her in for a chaste kiss. After all, Kenzi was only a thin wall away. Speaking of which, an indiscrete cough pulled them apart.

"If you guys don't want to miss your reservation, you should probably get going," Kenzi said with a smile.

"Right - ok they to bed at eight. Seth'll fight you a bit, so just tell him he can't see Mr. Callen until tomorrow, and that'll come faster the quicker her goes to bed. They've already ate, but help yourself to anything," she said earnestly. Kenzi nodded.

"Have fun," she said with a wink. "Don't do anything Deeks wouldn't do!" she called out as she closed the door, but not before seeing Callen flick her off from behind his back as he walked Evelyn to the passenger side to open her door.

_A/N~ Just assume the date went well. I kinda lost my inspiration for this chapter and though it better to just end it than make some crappy stuff up. I've actually got a lot of the next chapter done, and since we are on break, I can happily say with assurance that it will be up within the next few days. Thanks for bearing with me!_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N~ So I'm back earlier than I thought! Thanks to everyone whose put up with my completely inconsistent postings - hope this chapter and one yesterday made up for it. Enjoy chapter 6! And _please_ don't forget to review! Thanks!_

"I love you."

"Try sounding like your not in pain," Sam suggested with a smirk. This was definitely _not_ the G. Callen he knew. He had been practicing saying the words aloud for the past thirty minutes. The bigger man folded his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. "You know, you can't say it if you don't really mean it," he said with some trepidation. Callen immediately shot him a sharp look.

"I mean it Sam, I really do feel this way about Evelyn. The problem is I've never," he trailed off and dropped his chin to his chest as he exhaled, then met his partner's eyes again. "I've never said it and meant. A few deep covers made me do it, but it was a job. Now, though . . . I love her. I am in love with her. I just don't know how to say it."

Sam schooled his features as he sat straighter in his chair. As happy as he was for Callen, he was fairly shocked and slightly unprepared for this moment. He never expected his closed off, walled partner to not only find love, but invite it in rather than push it away.

"I believe you, G. Any field agent who willingly takes on extra boring paperwork for a simple 'approve' or 'disapprove' from HR is crazy in love. Just tell her. From what you've said about her, the time you spend together, she loves you too."

Callen have a humorless laugh and shoot his head. "When we first started spending time together, I was terrified that I'd be the one to close up and break things off if it was going to fast. We've only been together for three months Sam, and in a lot of ways, she's like me. What if I'm the one to scare her?" Sam leaned forward, forearms on his desk as he watched Callen pace back and forth in the empty OPS center. They were way past quitting time on a Friday, so the place was deserted, even from Hetty.

"Callen three things happen if you say it. One, she says it back. I don't want to know what you two will be up to when that happens," he said smirking. Callen huffed and rolled his eyes, biting back a smile. "Two, she's not ready to say it back. What do you do then?"

"I'll wait," he answered instantaneously. "If she's not ready, I'm not going to push her, but I'll stay with her. I love her." Sam nodded.

"And third, she freaks. But listen to me, G, that's the least likely to happen. I mean, she's put up with ya this long, she's gotta feel something," he teased. Callen considered everything Sam said, and knew he was right. Evelyn wouldn't have shared half the things she did with him if she didn't care deeply about him. At the least, she trusted him immensely: with her kids, and with her thoughts and past. Callen nodded, then swiftly grabbed his jacket and bag from his desk.

"Thanks Sam," he said somewhat distracted as he half ran out of the building. Smirking, Sam remained seated at his desk as he finished up to get home to his family.

/

Callen's chest tightened as a beautiful smile graced Evelyn's lips when she opened the door. Knowing they only had about ten seconds of alone time before Seth would come barreling to the door, they quickly closed in for a kiss.

"MR. CALLEN, MR. CALLEN, MR. CALLEN!" Seth yelled as he ran down the hall, a piece of paper in his hands. The two adults broke apart just in time for Callen to put his arms out for the excited boy to jump into. "I made a picture at school today and Mrs. Hayfield said it was really good!" he exclaimed as he waved the picture up and down.

"Is this the surprise, sweetie?" Evelyn asked. He had been secretive about something all day after school, not wanting her to look in his school bag until after "Mr. Callen" got to the house.

The boy nodded eagerly and stilled his hand so the adults could see it. It was a typical drawing for a six year old, with a crudely colored in sun and single stripes on the top and bottom for grass, but the main feature in the middle page were four stick figures: a tall one and a short one next to one another, both with short blond hair, a tall figure with a skirt and long brown hair, and a tiny one in a skirt. Callen's breath caught in his throat as he realized what it was.

"Mrs. Hayfield said to make a picture of our family," he said to Callen. "That's you, and me, and mommy, and Natalie!" he said, pointing to each figure.

_Our family_, Callen thought. It was only three months ago that Evelyn had come to his door looking for Seth, and in that time, both of their worlds had changed. Provided he didn't have a case, Callen came to Evelyn's home after work. They had dinner together together, he fed Natalie her bottle and tried to coax more solid food into her mouth, Seth would sit on his lap and talk about his day, and when the kids were in bed, he and Evelyn would sit on the couch and talk and kiss until it was time for him to go.

"That's beautiful, Seth," Evelyn said, slightly choked up. To her relief, Callen nodded too.

"I think we can find a pretty good spot on the fridge for that, can't we?" he said to the boy, glancing at his foster mom.

"Really?" Seth asked excitedly. When both adults nodded, he squirmed to get out of Callen's arms to run into the kitchen.

Evelyn leaned back into his embrace as Callen wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and dropped a kiss to the side of her neck. "Family, huh?" he said, resting his chin on her shoulder. She smiled and turned in his arm to kiss him again.

"Welcome home, Callen."

/

Eric's shrill whistle cut through the bull pin, drawing a groan from Kenzi. Had she not just laid out in full detail her spa plans for after work today? And now Deeks, Callen, and Sam (but especially Deeks) were laughing over her ruined utopia.

Hetty was already in the tech room when the agents entered, taking their usual positions and got ready to listen to Eric and Nell. Wife of a high ranking military officer was kidnapped for information regarding a top secret file the officer was involved in. Callen sent Kenzi and Deeks to the house to talk to her husband and the kids, while he and Sam talked to Sergeant Miller's commanding officer.

As they waited for the man to arrive at the boathouse, Callen couldn't help but let his mind wander. He knew he could not be distracted; he couldn't think that it was possible someone could take Evelyn for a case he had been working on. He shook the idea from his mind before it could take root - being distracted wouldn't help her, or the case, it would only cause him to slip up.

After talking to the commander, they met Kenzi and Deeks back at OPS for a quick run through. They hadn't gotten much from the commander, but caught a major break when Kenzi and Deeks had found out that the necklace the officer had given his wife had a hidden tracking device. They traced her location to a storage warehouse on the outskirts of the city.

Sam and Callen took the front, while Kenzi and Deeks took each side entrance. Opting for a silent entry, the agents slowly made their way through the warehouse, room by room, floor by floor.

"I've got her!" Callen heard Deeks exclaim over the wire. Kenzi was on her way to help calm the woman down and extract her.

"No one else is here," Sam said lowering his weapon. Callen immediately put his hand up and was quiet.

"I hear something," he muttered under his breath just before three bullets hit the wall right by them. Ducking for cover, they fired in the direction of the previous shots.

"Sam! Do you see anything?" Callen called across the small gap between them.

"Negative, you wanna take that side?" Callen nodded and the two separated to search the rest of the warehouse. Deeks confirmed that Kenzi was getting the woman under control, paramedics and back up were on the way, and that he too was coming in. Footsteps caused Callen to turn around and see a man running in the opposite direction towards the door. Bolting after him, Callen fired a shot at his knee, barely missing as the man turned a corner. He pressed himself up against the wall to avoid the returning shot from behind the corner, then went after the running man again. Callen blocked a fist as it flew right in front of his face, catching it and twisting the arm.

The suspect kicked at his knees, and Callen landed a punch to the man's gut. His arm flew out and hit Callen on the cheekbone, hard, but not enough to stun him for more than a second. Grabbing the man and slamming him into the wall, he was able to cuff him just as Deeks came around. He and Sam had taken down the other two; one was dead, the other had a pretty nasty bullet hole in his shoulder.

The interview afterwards gave them all the information they needed to close the case. It was nearing seven o'clock, and Callen was still sitting at his desk. He rubbed one hand along his mouth and chin, the other held a small photo, a favorite of his, of Evelyn, Seth, Natalie, and him at the park. He smiled thinking of that day: he and Evelyn were taking pictures of the kids laughing and playing, when another couple with their daughter offered to take a picture of all four of them. In it, Seth was the only one smiling hugely at the camera, with Evelyn laughing and trying to grab him before he fell forward. Natalie was too busy feeling Callen's fuzzy head to look at the camera, and he was smiling at her as she was staring incredulously at his head. His arm was around Evelyn's waist, pulling her into his side, while the other was cradling Natalie to his chest. Like Seth's picture at school, they looked just like a family. _We _are _a family_, a little voice told him.

"It'll getting late, Mr. Callen. You should go home and tend to your cheek. It's swelling quite considerably," Hetty said, coming out of nowhere, as always. Somewhat shocked since he didn't feel much pain or numbness, Callen scooted his chair to Kenzi's desk and picked up a small pocket sized mirror she kept on her desk. To his disbelief, his cheek was indeed black and blue already from where the kidnapper had hit him. The angry bruise stood out on his face - there was no way Evelyn wouldn't notice it and freak out.

"Believe me, Hetty, it's not as bad as it looks," Callen said. She nodded.

"And the other wound, Mr. Callen?" she asked pointedly. Of course she picked up on his anxiety during the case - what happened to Sergeant Miller and his wife could have happened to him and Evelyn. He was terrified of something like that happening, and now that the case was over and he nothing to distract him, the idea couldn't escape his mind. He pictured coming to her house to find the door had been forced open, the house in ruins, signs of a struggle, and small spots of blood leading out the back and to the road. He pictured a warehouse, not unlike the one they had just been to, and her chained to a cold metal chair as she waited and waited for him to give up secrets he swore to protect. Though if he had to make a choice . . .

"Go home. Spending life behind a desk with fear will only make oneself live the rest of it in regret," and with that, she was gone again.

/

Evelyn's greeting was cut off when Callen passionately claimed her lips with his. He pulled her as close as he possibly could to him, one hand in her hair as he made sure she couldn't go anywhere, and the other was on the small of her back. She got over her initial shock of his immediate intensity quickly, and reciprocated in fever, clutching his strong shoulders. Callen ran his tongue along her bottom lip, slipping into her mouth to tangle with hers when she opened. He slowly pushed her backwards into the house, then quickly turned her around and pushed her lightly into the door as he closed it. She nibbled on his lip and he too added his teeth into the mix.

Chests heaving, they pulled apart to gasp for air. She dropped her forehead to his shoulder and he braced his hands against the wall to recover from the kiss. He was also putting a _lot_ of energy into trying to control a certain bodily reaction.

He knew he had gotten back from the case late, and that the kids were already in bed for the night. Even though on a normal night, this would be the time he would be leaving, he knew tonight was the night he was going to say it - take the risk.

Nudging her face back up to meet his, he kissed her passionately again, this time more chastely before breaking it off.

"I love you."

Evelyn's breath caught in her throat. Of course she loved him back, but hearing the words come from his lips multiplied that feeling by a ten-fold. She knew he wouldn't of said it if he hadn't meant it with everything in him, and understood the courage it took for him to open himself up like that to another person.

"I love you, too, Callen," she said breathily in reply. He knew immediately when he looked into her eyes that she meant it just as much as he did. They kissed again until he had to stop - a man could only go so far before wanting a whole lot more.

"I should go," he said, chuckling as he kissed her pout away.

"Stay?" she asked hopefully. Oh, how he wanted to. He really, _really_, wanted to, but he didn't want to take this next step on a whim and he didn't have and sort of protection.

"I want to, Ev, but I really shouldn't. I will soon, though," he said, giving her another kiss. She nodded. He was right - not yet.

"I love you," she said with a smile which he returned.

"And I love you," he said before he left.

_A/N~ Almost started to get a little steamy towards the end there! I've never written _that_ kind of stuff before, but I think I may try for the next chapter and make just that chapter M. Not too sure though. Hope you guys are still happy with everything so far! Please leave me a review!_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N~ I chickened out on the M. One day, I'll get around to it, probably make it a oneshot, but for now, you'll just have to settle for a not-so-vague illusion to the deed. Hope you guys like this chapter and where this story is going - please leave me a review and let me know! I appreciate them more than you could know!_

The patter of tiny footsteps down the hall caused Evelyn and Callen to turn to find Seth, standing in the doorway of the hall and living room with one thumb in his mouth, his other hand gripping his blanket he had been given when he first came to live with Evelyn.

"Is everything ok, sweetie?" Evelyn asked as she and Callen got up.

"I had a bad dream," he said around his thumb with watery eyes. Callen instantly felt guilty. He had been invited Evelyn and the kids to see his house - strangely enough, even though they lived across the street and had been together for close to four months, they had never been inside - and Seth had wandered off looking around. Callen hadn't been worried about the little boy finding any guns (those were carefully hidden) or anything that would give away an alias, so he let it go while Evelyn scolded him on his lack of living amenities. Seth had found the laundry room, and in it a very bloody white t-shirt Callen had yet to wash yet.

He ran to the two adults, crying, thinking something bad had happened to his beloved "Mr. Callen." That was when Callen had to explain to the six year old that part of his job was to help people who were in trouble, but sometimes he couldn't get there in time. The case was still fresh in his mind; a civilian had been shot in the cross fire with a ruthless drug cartel on a busy street. Callen had tried to revive him on the scene, but the paramedics just couldn't get there quick enough.

The display in Callen's living room was enough to scare Seth, and Evelyn a bit too, worried that it could have been him, and prompted them to move back across the street.

"Can you tuck me in?" Seth said in a small voice. To both of their surprise, his question was directed at Callen instead of Evelyn. Though he was basically tucking-in-illiterate, Callen immediately agreed. Pulling the covers up around the boy, sat on the edge of the bed.

"What was your dream about little man?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.

Seth sniffled before saying, "you gotted really hurt and didn't come see us anymore," and started to cry. Pushing aside his discomfort with tears, Callen reached his hand up to wipe them away and say a few comforting words to the kid like he had seen Evelyn do.

"Hey, bud, listen to me, ok? I promise, I swear, that I will do everything I can to come home to you, your sister, and your mommy. I promise. Ok?" he said. He knew he could never guarantee anything with his job, but a promise to try was something he could do. It was something he could hold onto. Seth's tears stopped, though he kept sniffling, and he nodded.

"I love you, Seth," Callen said. He mentally smacked himself for not saying it sooner. He loved the kids, so much, but had only told Evelyn. It was time to be more vocal about it with Seth and Natalie too.

"I love you, too, Daddy," he replied without hesitation. Callen was stunned silent. Daddy? He wasn't Seth's father. He didn't even know how to be one.

"Daddy?" he asked uneasily. Seth didn't notice; he was already drifting off to sleep.

"My teacher said a daddy is someone who loves you and takes care of you like a mommy does but he's a boy, and Jacob said that mommies and daddies kiss a lot," he mumbled, closing his eyes.

Callen remained sitting on the bed, thinking about what he said. Despite how honored he felt that Seth loved him and looked up to him enough to consider him his dad, he was starting to panic. With his job, he could leave a little boy without a father, just like what happened to him. He took a deep breath to calm down.

Without a doubt, he knew he would do anything for Seth. Protect him from anything and everything he couldn't handle, take him to sports games, help him with girls when he was much older, love him unconditionally, anything at all. Things a father would do for his son. Remember his earlier promise, to try to hold on and never leave, he knew he had to be ready for this.

After watching Seth sleep now peacefully for another moment, he went back into the family room. Evelyn was in the kitchen cleaning up little stuff left over from dinner. He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing the side of her neck.

"Is he ok?" she asked, setting down the dish towel and leaning into his embrace.

"Yeah," he said. "He called me 'Daddy'," he finally said. Evelyn turned around to face him.

"And are you ready for that?" she asked, trying to mask her hopefulness. She held her breath until he smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I am. I love Seth and Natalie. And I love you, too," he said firmly, with no doubt.

"Good, because I love you, too," she said back, smiling.

"Oh yeah," he said playfully, digging his fingers into her sides. "Do you?" She burst into a fit of laughter, but he didn't let up.

"I do, I do! Callen! Stop!" she said laughing as he continued to tickle her until she slumped against him in defeat. He picked her up and set her on the counter, standing between her legs. He moved into kiss her again, cupping her jaw with his large hand.

When they broke apart for air minutes later and locked eyes, they made a silent agreement.

"If you're sure," Callen said trailing off, pulling back to look at her directly. She nodded, pulling him in for another searing kiss. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, and he carried her from the counter to her bedroom. They slowly discarded clothes and began to move together, each other's name on their lips as they both came to the brink.

"I love you," Callen said, still above her on shaky arms. She reciprocated, rolling them over for another go.

/

The sun pouring into the room woke Callen to find himself in a room that definitely was not his. Years of training and undercover told him to bolt, but then he looked down and registered a familiar woman wrapped into his side.

Moving a strand of hair out of her face, he smiled remembering the night before and it's perfection. Glancing at the clock, he saw that he should probably wake her up soon before Seth and Natalie woke up.

"Ev," he said, kissing her forehead and running his hand along her bare arm. Her brows twitched together briefly and she shifted closer to him, making him acutely aware of the fact that neither of them were wearing any clothes.

"Ev," he said again, repeating his previous action, but this time, she groaned a bit and turned her head towards him. Breathing him in, she smiled into his chest and opened her eyes.

"Good morning," she said, propping her chin on his chest and draping her arms around him. He circled his arm around her waist while the other pushed more hair from her face.

"Mmh, morning," he said, his voice still thick from sleep. He kissed her forehead again. "So, last night," he trailed off, a sparkle in his eyes. Her smile told him that she thoroughly enjoyed it too.

"Was incredible," she finished for him. "Thank you," she said. He smirked.

"No, thank you," he joked. She laughed.

"Really, Callen, it was perfect," Evelyn said, pulling herself up slightly to press her lips to his chastely. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Ev." They laid there smiling at each other for a short moment until Callen remembered the reason for waking her up this early on a Saturday. "Seth and Natalie are going to be waking up soon. We should get dressed," he said, even though the last thing he wanted to do was to get out of bed and her put clothes on. She pouted but nodded. Callen did not miss her wince when she sat up and was immediately concerned, not even taking much notice that the sheet was now pooled at her waist instead of her collar bone.

"Evelyn! Are you ok?" he asked alarmed, reaching for her hand, but at the same time, afraid to touch her. If he had hurt her, even inadvertently . . .

"Sh, it's ok. I'm fine, just a little sore, but that's supposed to be normal since well, uh, you know, and you're uh, you're huge," she said blushing. Once he determined she was telling the truth, she wasn't really hurt, he felt a swell of pride. "Not that you needed something else to fuel that ego," she joked, playfully nudging his side. He wrapped his arms around her again, crushing her to him as he kissed her again. These were some of the moments he loved the most with her, where her eyes were bright with laughter, and he could laugh, make jokes, hold her.

"You know what part of Seth's reasoning was behind calling me daddy?" he asked with a smile. She shook her head. "He said mommies and daddies kiss a lot." Evelyn threw her head back in laughter.

"He did not!" she exclaimed. Callen nodded his head, chuckling. "Ha! And we thought we were subtle," she said smiling. She moved to swing he legs off the bed to get up, but was met with more pain between her legs than she realized from before. Again, he caught her wince and saw her bite her lip, and eased her back into bed to lie down.

"Ok, I'll get the kids up. Stay here, relax, go back to sleep or take a shower, or whatever, k?" he more told her than asked. Any other day, she would have objected, but . . . she was really sore. So, instead of rolling her eyes and pushing herself up, she just nodded and leaned forward to kiss his cheek.

"You're too sweet. Don't let Seth trick you into letting him have too much sugar on his cereal, and make sure Natalie eats everything you give her, not throw it on the floor," she told him.

"Is that all," he said smirking. This time she did roll her eyes.

"Yes," she mock cried exasperated. She smiled before turning serious. "I love you. Thank you for last night."

"I love you, too," he said, kissing her deeply before forcing himself out of bed. She discretely watched as he pulled on his boxers and jeans. Callen caught her eye as he pulled on his t-shirt, leaving his shoes and socks scattered around her bedroom floor. He smirked and she dropped back onto the bed, face flushed with embarrassment.

"I'm not good at this," she groaned, hand on her forehead.

"What, surveillance or the whole 'morning after' thing," he said chuckling.

"Either. Both."

"You're doing fine. Rest some more, and then, get ready for the most fantastic breakfast of your life," he promised.

"You cook," she stated flatly. Of all things she would of thought him to be good at, she wouldn't have though to even consider cooking didn't making the list.

"Oh, ye of little faith. That hurts," he said gripping his chest, delighting in the laugh it pulled from her. "I did a two week undercover stint a long time ago at a breakfast place and may of learned some tricks."

"Mmh, ok. Impress me then."

"You could at least sound somewhat convinced," he deadpanned. Callen and Evelyn turned their head towards the door when they heard soft whining coming from Natalie's room.

"Go ahead, daddy," she said. The happiness in both their smiles and eyes was so strong, so genuine, that Callen couldn't think of a single reason to not spend the rest of his life with his perfect 'family'. Kissing her one more time, Callen straightened up to go take care of the crying baby.

It was time to get his daughter.

_A/N~ Yay! So Callen is open to the whole family thing now. I'll try to post again by next week, but now that break is almost over, no promises. Sorry. Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought!_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N~ Here we go! Chapter 8 is finally done - sorry for the long wait! Let me know what you think; I love reviews!_

"Hey! Wow, it's been a while - she's gotten so big!" Kenzi exclaimed as she sat down in the booth across from her friend and her baby. She reached forward and let Natalie play with her fingers as the little girl squealed.

"Just hit the one year benchmarks last week," Evelyn said smiling, taking a sip of her coffee.

"So not too long before the terrible twos, huh?" Kenzi joked, laughing when Evelyn grimaced.

"Gosh, don't remind me. So how have you been? You were right that it has been a long time."

"Eh, same old same old for the most part. I wake up, work out, shower, go to work, make fun of Deeks, do some paperwork, make fun of Deeks, and go home. Nothing too exciting," she said shrugging. "But what about you? Working mom of two, interesting love life," she said wiggling her eyebrows as Evelyn chocked on her coffee.

"Please, I'm a twelfth grade teacher and it's almost graduation - my job is currently a joke. Callen comes over most nights though, and that's a huge help with the kids. Seth idolizes him, and Natalie started to call him 'Dadda' too," she said, obviously pleased with the advancement.

"Does she! Oh my gosh, that's adorable! How did Callen react the first time?" Kenzi had no intention of telling the other woman this, but the last place she ever pictured Callen was in a family setting. Sure, he was great with Sam's daughter, perfectly playing the fun Uncle G roll, but no one on the team would have ever guessed he would have picked this life. She just hoped he didn't back out now.

"He was really shocked at first, especially with Seth, but I think he likes the idea of being a dad to them. He's great at it too; don't ever tell him I told you this, but he can change a diaper fast than me," she said. Kenzi burst out laughing so loud, another group of women turned to look over, and Natalie gave her a confused look. Evelyn sat back, biting her lip as Kenzi tried to recover.

Shaking her head, trying to find something to say, she was cut off when her phone sounded. "It's work, so sorry! This was supposed to be a girls day!" Kenzi said as she stood up to take the call. Evelyn waved it off.

"Don't worry about it. It was good to see you anyways," she said, gathering up her stuff. She would have to rush back home to relieve Callen from time with Seth so he could make it in on time.

"Let's do something again soon," she said as she headed towards the doors. "Hey Eric."

/

"This is the package?" Sam said. They had been searching for an item that had been stolen from a military base. Before them now lay a small, rectangular, nondescript black box.

"Mr. Callen, be sure the contents have not been disturbed," said Hetty. The box was to be filled with deep cover identities for a current Naval mission; if that information fell into the wrong hands...

Callen pulled out the key the base had given them and undid the lock. He immediately froze upon hearing a click - one that was in no way associated with the turning of a lock.

"G!" he heard Sam yell, ready to grab his partner and hit the deck. Instead, Callen slowly continued lifting the lid, revealing a small bomb. The timer was counting down from two minutes. "Hetty, there's a problem. Bomb. Two minutes - Eric, I'm sending you pictures," Sam said as calmly as he could into his headpiece.

"Got 'em. Give me a second," Eric said distractedly as he analyzed the photos.

"They do not have much time, Mr. Beal," Hetty reminded him. Nell bit her lip as she stood back. As good as she was, Eric was the bomb diffusion expert.

"I'm working as fast as I can! From what I can tell, the hardware is pretty straightforward. Cut one cord and it's diffused," the tech said from OPS. Now for him to figure out which one that was. "It's the yellow one," he said looking closer at the picture Callen and Sam had sent him and Nell.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure," Eric replied. Callen picked up the cord and clippers, snapping the yellow cord. Everyone held their breath as they waited, but nothing happened.

"Good work, Eric," Sam said, and Hetty, Eric, and Nell let out a relieved sigh.

"Anytime," he said, closing the connection. Exchanging a triumphant look with Nell, Eric nodded back at Hetty before the woman left the room.

/

"Hey!" Deeks said as Callen and Sam walked back into OPS giving both men a pat on the back. Kenzi gave the two a mock bow from her seat, her feet kicked up onto Deek's desk.

"Where's Hetty?" Callen asked, looking around for the mysterious old woman.

"Probably talking to the commander and tying up loose ends on where those identities are," Kenzi suggested with a shrug.

"Actually, she said that was all taken care of. Commander Gimrick has cancelled the mission and is going to handle it internally from here. Hetty said she had an errand to run," Nell said coming down to do God knows what on one of the computers.

"So we're free to go?" Deeks asked hopefully. "I don't think I can stick around this one for much longer. There is only so much Fern a guy can handle in a day," he said gesturing to Kenzi.

"That's right, Deeks," she said. "You can't handle me," Kenzi added suggestively before grabbing her bag and walking off. Callen and Sam snorted as he thoughtlessly followed her.

"Close call, huh?"

"We've had closer," Callen said truthfully with a shrug. Sam nodded.

"Guess you're right. See you tomorrow," he said before heading out. Callen returned the sentiment, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. Again, he pulled out the picture of him and his . . . family. He was right in saying they had had closer calls, but this was closest since he met Evelyn. Since he became a dad. Putting away the picture, he too made his way out to the parking lot.

/

Bigger than the relief when he diffused the bomb was seeing Evelyn's smiling face when she opened the door for him. Seeing her here, safe, in front of him, and hearing the laugher of Seth and Natalie down the hall relieved all the stress he felt from the day. There was a certain sparkle in her eye as she gave him an amused look. Kissing her softly, he pulled back, then tried to read her.

"Somethings up," he said. She just smiled bigger.

"We have a visitor," Evelyn said, stepping back and letting him into the house. Now on full alert, even though Evelyn seemed to be at ease, Callen made his way down the hallway, then into the living room. The sight greeting him was a shock.

"Good evening, Mr. Callen," said Hetty as she bounced Natalie on her lap like a well practiced grandmother while Seth played at her feet.

_A/N~ Curveball! I decided I really didn't have enough Hetty in this story, which is strange, because she is my favorite. I'll have more with her in the next chapter. Thanks for sticking with me everyone despite my inconsistent postings, and THANK YOU for all the wonderful reviews! I love them all!_


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N~ Hello there! SO SORRY for the huge delay - a month and a half? At least? Thats ridiculous. My bad - life's been crazy, and frankly, I lost a little inspiration until last Tuesday's episode. I really hope this makes up for all the time I've been out!_

"Hetty," Callen said in surprise. "What are you . . ." he asked, looking from her, to Evelyn, and back to the older woman.

"I just happened to be sitting upon the same bench as Ms. Franks earlier this afternoon, and she so graciously invited me over for dinner tonight after hearing of my connections to our mutual friend. You, on the other hand, I am most disappointed with. Several months have gone past without you as much as asking me on a lunch date to meet this fine woman and her children," she said, raising her eyebrow at him before returning her attention back to Natalie, who had begun to tug on her scarf.

Evelyn chuckled softly at the look on Callen's face. Confusion, shock, disbelief, and a little bit of horror didn't even begin to cover the expression flashing across his eyes.

"Your tea, Ms. Lange," Evelyn said, brushing past Callen with a wink as she set a cup down on the table beside the woman.

"Hetty is more than fine my dear," Hetty said with a slightly pointed look. Apparently, it wasn't the first time the two had had that conversation.

"Ms. Hetty?" Seth said from the ground, pulling on her pant leg. Callen was blown away by the sweet look she gave him. Evelyn came up beside him, leaning into his side as he automatically wrapped one arm around his waist. The two watched as Hetty interacted with the two children, Evelyn smiling, Callen not.

"Something wrong?" Evelyn asked after another long silence from him.

"Yeah, someone abducted my boss," Callen replied, floored that Hetty had now picked up one of Seth's toy cars and started playing with him, running it up the side of the couch and onto Natalie's leg, who immediately began to giggle. "How did this happen?"

"It was such a coincidence! We were in the park, and were heading back to the car when Ms. Lange," she paused and blushed, catching the look Hetty threw at her, "_Hetty_ came up with the diaper bag I forgot on the bench. We started talking, and she saw a picture of you with the kids, then introduced herself as your boss."

"Coincidence . . ." he muttered. From a few feet away, Hetty smiled, easily disguised as a loving gesture towards Seth's antics.

/

"I like her. I've met everyone on your team - why not Hetty?" Callen sucked in breath and took a minute to answer.

"Hetty is . . . complicated. I guess part of me figured this day would eventually come, when she decided she was tired of waiting and meet you herself. The other part," he trailed off, leaning against the headboard of their (he hadn't officially moved in, but might as well) bed as he ran his hand over his head, then to slight scruff on his chin. Sensing he needed a second to gather his thoughts, Evelyn silently picked up his hand and laid her head on his shoulder. "Hetty's always known more about me than I do about myself. She's held secrets about my family, my name, _myself_. I think that once I was sure about this - about us - I wanted it to be just mine." Afraid he might of said the wrong thing, Callen looked down at Evelyn when she said nothing in response. Lifting her head up, she turned to press a light kiss to his lips before pulling back just enough to look in his eyes.

"I love you," she whispered.

"And I love you."

/

_I know who you care about._

The Chameleon's words kept echoing in his head, over, and over, and over. He had passed the keys off to Sam, the two sitting in tense silence as they drove back to OPS. He had been threatened more times than he could count - his team too. He tried to calm himself down, tell himself that this wasn't any different. They would catch the Chameleon, put an end to him once and for all.

Callen knew he was lying to himself.

This guy was the best he'd ever seen, he said the words himself. If he didn't succeed, he'd get pretty damn close to killing him. And who he cared about.

Taking the opportunity to slip away from the group as Sam, Kensi, and Deeks loaded their guns for the firing range, Callen slipped the picture of Evelyn and the kids - his other family outside of the team - out of his wallet. His other hand pulled out his cell phone, his fingers automatically typing in Evelyn's number, his thumb hovering over send. As much as he hated to admit it, warning her about the Chameleon would do nothing. She would worry: about him, about the kids. Calling her would burden her with constantly looking over her shoulder for an enemy she would never see until he wanted her to. An enemy who shouldn't be hers to fear.

"We will catch this man, Mr. Callen." Callen slowly raised his head, not even caring Hetty would plainly see the fear and indecision in his eyes. She didn't, as she was looking out the window at the rest of the team.

"It's not just my life on the line, Hetty," he said looking from his team back to the picture of his smiling girlfriend and kids. This time, Hetty turned her gaze towards him.

"We will catch this man, Mr. Callen," she replied, more firm than before. Seeing the force and determination in her eyes made Callen send a tiny prayer to whatever Diety collided his boss and loves of his life - Hetty had obviously fallen in love with the two tiny children and their mother, and when Hetty took a liking to something, nothing could come in way of that.

Their shared understanding was broken when the door to the shooting range opened and Granger strutted in, his gaze on him and Hetty. Without taking his icy eyes off the man, Callen shoved his phone and photo back into his pocket.

/

Evelyn stopped in the doorway of Seth's room, leaning against the paneling. Something had been off with G since he had gotten home. When he had first walked through the door, he had kissed her - not in itself out of the ordinary, but it was the fierceness in his lips that had thrown her. Not that she minded in the least, and at first didn't think twice about it. As the night went on, she started to notice how subdued he was. He went about his normal routine, playing trucks with Seth and bouncing Natalie on his lap as she made dinner, but she didn't hear his normal laughter or teasing. More than once, she caught him just staring at either one of the kids or her, an almost painful look on his face. By bedtime, she knew something was seriously wrong. It had been almost fifteen minutes since Callen had taken a sleeping Natalie and tired Seth back to their rooms as she cleaned up.

Watching him siting on Seth's bed, the little boy curve against his father and Natalie asleep on his chest both melted and broke her heart. G Callen was the strongest person she had ever know, and at this moment he looked . . . not.

Callen knew Evelyn was standing there but couldn't let himself meet her eyes. Instead, he kept watching his son sleep and feel his baby girl's breath against his collar. Finally lifting his head to look at Evelyn, he swallowed and motioned with his free hand for her to come over. She pushed herself off the doorframe and was on the bed within an instant, lying on her side facing Callen with Seth between them.

"Callen," she started, but he shook his head.

"I can't tell you. I'm sorry," he said, his voice thick. The Chameleon threatened to take this away from him, take them away, and he couldn't say a word.

Evelyn knew there were things about his job he couldn't talk about - the fact that she knew what he did was already enough. Still, she wanted him to be free of whatever was burdening him, and maybe just lying here with them would help him, so instead of continuing on, she settled herself back onto a pillow and took his hand, bringing his palm to her lips and pressing a kiss there. Still holding his hand with one of hers, she dropped the other one onto Seth's stomach. Holding his eyes with hers, Evelyn tried to show him her unwavering support. This time it was his turn to kiss her hand, letting his lips linger on her skin.

Without speaking, he rose with Natalie, careful not to jostle her, and took Evelyn's hand, leading them out of the room. He gently placed Natalie in her crib, softly touching her face before turning back to Evelyn, pulling her into him and kissing her. He then led her back to their bedroom to showed her how much he loved her.

_A/N~ Yes, I did tie it in with the episode "Crimeleon." Don't worry, I'm not going to have anything bad happen to Evelyn or the kids, but that's all I'm saying. Again, I am so terribly sorry for the amount of time it took for me to post this! I hope this chapter has lived up to expectations and has been somewhat worth it! Please leave me a review! I love them!_


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N~ MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES to everyone who has been following my story! I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to post this chapter, as short as it may be. Things are pretty crazy. But enough about that, here's an adorable chapter to keep my romantic readers happy, and a "fun" little plot twist at the end :)_

Callen had barely taken a step through the front door when he felt a small body run into his legs and latch onto the back of his thighs, and just like that, all the stress vanished from his body. Ruffling Seth's hair, he waddled with the boy still attached to his legs into the living room to find his two favorite girls.

Looking up from the pile of baby toys in front of her, Evelyn's smile grew even wider when she met Callen's eyes. Natalie followed her foster mother's gaze, and let out a delighted squeal and clapped her hands together when he caught sight of him.

"I just put dinner in the oven, so we've got a little while until we eat. How was your day?" she inquired sweetly.

"Better, now," Callen said with a small smile, simultaneously untangling Seth from his legs to lift him onto his hip while bending down to kiss Evelyn's lips.

"Hmm," she hummed against his lips, letting her eyes fall closed for a moment. "He's been clingy all day, and not too talkative. He might open up to you about his school day a bit more than me," she said, tilting her head towards Seth, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout Callen's arrival home. Callen nodded before pressing another quick kiss to her lips and proceeded to carry Seth to the back door, slipping out with practiced ease.

Wordlessly handing a small baseball mitt to Seth and picking up his own larger one, Callen gently tossed the ball to Seth, who reflexively caught it. Evelyn had insisted that the boys try to take up baseball as a father and son activity just two weeks prior.

"What's going on, bud?" Callen asked casually after a few minutes of throwing the ball around. "Come on, little man, you can me, you know that, right?"

Seth nodded. "I told Carrie I was going to marry her and she said no," he pouted, throwing his glove down and stomping his foot angrily. Crossing his arms across his body, he stuck his bottom lip out in a way that took all of Callen's self control and undercover training not to laugh at how adorable he was acting.

"Is Carrie a girl in your class?" he asked instead. Seth nodded. "And you really like her?" He nodded again. Callen sighed.

"You know, Seth, you have to really, really like someone to marry them. It takes a long time to like someone that way. And guess what?"

"What?" Seth asked, intrigued about what his faux father was about to say.

"When you get married, you have to kiss the girl, and you get cooties," he said, acting as if it were the grossest thing in the world. Seth's face contorted in horror as his six year old mind contemplated kissing a girl.

"That's so GROSS!" he yelled. "I am NEVER going to get married." Callen watched on, chuckling under his breath as Seth continued to shake his head, disgusted. "But you and mommy kiss, right? Does that mean that she gave you cooties?"

Callen laughed at Seth's legitimate reasoning. "Mommies don't have cooties, so I'm in the clear," he assured him with a smile.

"Are you and mommy married? Because Tony in my class told me that mommies and daddies are supposed to be married."

Callen cleared his throat. He really wasn't expecting that question.

"Um, yeah, usually mommies and daddies are married, but they don't have to be. You do though - you need to be married before you become a daddy, okay?" Seth nodded. "Your mommy and I aren't married, but um," he trailed off, not sure if he should finish.

"Your mommy and I aren't married, but would you be okay if we were?" he asked tentatively.

Seth's eyes lit up. "Yeah! That would be awesome!" he said. "As long as you are SURE you won't get any cooties," he added, suddenly serious.

"Grab your mitt," Callen said, laughing.

/

"Seth opened up to you earlier?" Evelyn said as they got ready for bed together in the bathroom.

"Yep. Girl in his class rejected his marriage proposal," he said around his tooth brush. Evelyn's soft laughter filled the room as she shook her hair loose from its band.

"Poor baby! What'd you tell him?" she asked, walking into the bedroom, Callen right behind her after a quick spit and rinse.

"I wish I had a camera to capture the look on his face when I told him you had to kiss the girl when you get married, and that she would give you cooties," he told her, mirth in this eyes as he thought back on their soon-to-be legal son. Evelyn erupted into laughter as she pulled back the covers to the bed and crawled in.

"He was pretty worried about me, too. I might not know if you have cooties," he went on, running his hands along her sides to tickle her. Watching her squirm beneath him, Callen only stopped when she laughed so hard her beautiful face flushed completely and adorably pink.

"But um, he did ask something I wanted to talk with you about," Callen said, not entirely sure on where he was going with this. He waited a moment after she nodded to continue.

"He asked if we were married." Callen carefully watched Evelyn's face for any kind of sign to interpret, but she remained neutral. He was still trying to figure out whether that was a good or bad thing when she replied, "what did you tell him?"

He took a deep breath before answering, "I told him we weren't but it was something I would like, sometime in the future." Callen held his breath as he waited on her to say something. A moment later, he was met with a radiant smile.

"I would like that sometime in the future, too," she said softly, running her fingers across his slightly scruffy cheek.

"Good."

/

"What?" Deeks had been staring at him like he had grown a second head for the past ten minutes. And while ignoring Deeks had become something he prided himself at being quite accomplished at, he man's staring was perplexing.

"You're...I don't know, chipper?" he man said, half as a question, half in disbelief.

"I can't be chipper?" Callen deadpanned, turning on his perfected stare, fully aware of the 180 in his tone and behavior since he walked into the OPS center.

"No, no! It's just that, you know, you are normally not...chipper...given the work we do, and well, you know, you um, uh," he stammered.

"Stop talking, Deeks," Sam ordered from his desk, his eyes not lifting from the morning's paper. Kensi chucked across the room as Deeks' mouth clamped shut.

Eric's shrill whistle cut through the OPS center, and the four agents filed upstairs to begin their next case, Kensi and Deeks bantering about something irrelevant.

"Nice night?" Sam asked in a disinterested tone (a total facade, Callen knew), as they followed the other partners. Callen couldn't help but smile.

"Nice night," he confirmed.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news," Hetty said upon their immediate entrance to the tech room.

"The Chameleon has returned."

_A/N~ I know, that was a horrible way to end the chapter; giving you all a major cliff hanger after such a long wait! You may bash me all you'd like to in your reviews. The good news though is that I have most of the next chapter already written, so that will be up shortly (I don't want to put up an exact date on that, since I'm usually late)! I am going to try to fit the next few chapters into the actual season finale with my own twists and interpretations on what I think might happen next season._

_And I know I shouldn't be asking this after it took me FOUR MONTHS (! I am SO sorry!) to put this chapter up, but your reviews are much appreciated! Thank you in advance!_

_~fanatic218_


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N~ Thank you to everyone who has continued to put up the story! I truly appreciate all the encouragement I have received regarding my story, and I hope that everyone enjoys this chapter too, even though it's a little heavy. Be prepared!_

_I know who you care about._

"He's back."

Hetty patiently set her tea down on the desk between them. Blankly staring back at her lead agent, Hetty tipped her chin in an affirmative motion. "Yes." No response from Callen. "And what do you propose as the next step?" she asked.

An angry puff of air, one she was quite familiar with, escaped his nostrils as Callen's jaw clenched and he looked around the OPS center, just to avoid her eyes.

"We take him out," he said. Simple enough.

"As appealing as that may seem, it is not a viable option, Mr. Callen. Please consider the repercussions - "

"He _threatened_ my family. He made a direct threat against Evelyn, Seth, and Natalie. We both know he has a plan, and that they are the end game. He will follow through, Hetty, you know he will." The OPS leader stared back at her head agent, conflicted. She knew all that he said was true, but she also knew that there was no way she could let him do what he wanted - needed - to do.

"We'll find another option," she stated cryptically. Callen looked straight into her eyes with the ice she saw when she first recruited him as an agent. The look of determination, fearlessness, and detachment. The ladder, she knew, was only a front. G. Callen couldn't be more attached. The Chameleon made it about the woman Callen loves and the children he adores, all of whom love him in return. And wasn't that all Hetty had ever wanted for her most beloved agent?

"I will do what is necessary to keep my family safe." Because that's what they were - a family. It didn't matter that the children weren't yet legally theirs, or that he and Evelyn weren't married: they were his family, the only true one he had ever known, and he would be dammed if he were lose them.

/

Evelyn jumped as a hand gripped her thin waist from behind; her neck quickly stiffened, her hands clenched into tight fists, and she whipped around, crashing into a hard chest.

"Jesus!" she cried. "Callen, you scared the shit out of me!" exclaimed Evelyn as the immediate tension left her body. His behavior the last few days had put her on edge, and he had yet to tell her the full reason why.

_I'm not the person you should be scared of,_ he thought. Just minutes ago, he had watched a man blow up an agent - a friend - before his very eyes, and was powerless to stop him.

_Or should I be?_ He was the sole reason she and the kids were in danger, wasn't he? With him gone, the Chameleon would have no reason to chase them. He had known from the beginning that become involved with someone outside of work could bring them some danger, but he thought he would always be able to protect his own.

But now it was a worst case scenario. He couldn't hide her, couldn't send her away to some far off island, couldn't put her under protective custody. This wasn't a random threat: it was the Chameleon, and the Chameleon had sentenced them to death.

"Callen?" she said breathlessly, her heart stopping at the look on his face. It was one she had never seen before. His eyes shone fear.

"I love you, Evelyn. I love you so, so much. You know that, right?" he whispered hoarsely. Of course that didn't really matter, because the was one of those horrible true stories where love didn't win in the end. He questioned if it ever did.

"Callen, what is going on, please - " Evelyn tried to plead with him, but he cut her off.

"You know that, right?" he repeated, more urgent than the first time.

"I know." It killed him to see the pain in her eyes, pain he knew he was causing. She knew something was terribly wrong, yet she had no idea.

"I love the kids, too. Seth and Natalie. You three are my life, okay?" he went on, cupping her face in his large hands, brushing away the tears that were beginning to form in the corner of her eyes. He rested his forehead to hers, keeping eye contact.

"I know." When Evelyn pressed her lips to Callen's, the kiss quickly escalated into something more bruising, more urgent. More tears slipped down her cheeks as she realized that this was it. Callen had once told her that she had the ability to read him like an open book, always knowing what was going on in the cryptic, guarded mind of his. At the time she had considered it a blessing, an honor. Now it was a curse, because she knew that this would be their last kiss.

Breaking apart after what felt like a whole other lifetime, Callen again rested his forehead against Evelyn's, fruitlessly trying to catch his breath.

"Take my car and go to this address. Do not stop for anything or anyone. Leave your phone here, and don't make any calls. Do not leave for any reason, and do not accept anything from anyone on the outside. Keep the lights off, and stay inside. Unless Kensi, Deeks, Sam, or Hetty come, don't let anyone in. Do you understand?" he begged more than asked.

Frozen in horror, Evelyn could only stare at him as more tears rolled down her cheeks. "What, what about you? Where will you be, Callen, I can't leave you," she pleaded right back. Callen shook his head.

"Shh, shh, don't worry about me. Keep the kids and yourself safe. Please, promise me." Despite himself, Callen let the long withheld tears fall as well.

It took her a minute, but she nodded, and Callen released a breath he was well aware he was holding. They couldn't escape from the Chameleon completely, but they could buy some time. He prayed for the first time in ages that it would be enough.

/

It seemed as if every moment had led up to this. He worked harder than any other agent to be the best, he chased criminal after criminal, taking down multinational dealers and terrorists in the process, not caring what enemies he gained. Then he met a girl, met two wonderful children, and he fell in love. And everything from his past was rushing towards him as he stood still.

"_Go to hell," he spat at the monster while the team cleared the area. The Chameleon chuckled._

"_I'll tell Ms. Franks you say hello."_

Before he could fully process what he was about to do, Callen fired into the man's chest, emptying his magazine before Sam could pull him away. The rest of what happened was a blur. All he could concretely recall from then to the time he arrived at he LAPD station, this time in the back in a squad car, was telling Sam to check the safe house.

Hours later, he was sitting alone in a holding cell on the hard bench with two guard placed outside his door. He had been told his team was momentarily prohibited from visiting him, and he would soon be turned over to higher authorities to await what, he didn't know yet. No lawyer had shown up to represent him, and he didn't ask for one. All he wanted to know was if Evelyn, Seth, and Natalie were safe.

Pacing around the small cell again for the umpteenth time, Callen suddenly stopped and turned his head towards the door when he heard loud voices and commotion. Above all though, he heard the distinct voice of none other than Henrietta Lange. Within the minute, a loud beep rang out, signaling the release of the lock, and door burst open, the small but mighty woman strutting through, her head held high.

"Officer, if you would release Mr. Callen from your holding cell, please," she demanded. Shocked silent and motionless, Callen merely stood there as the LAPD officer opened the cell door, cuffed him, and led him out. "That will be all, Officer. I can take it from here," she said, clear dismissal in her voice as she kept her eyes on Callen. Once the officer left, Callen opened his mouth to ask the most important question.

"Yes, Mr. Callen. All three of them are safe," she answered before he could ask. Callen's back slid down the wall as the tension left him suddenly. Hetty continued.

"You, however, are from it. Director Vance boarded a plane bound straight for LAX two hours ago. You are coming with me to the boat house until he decided what to do with you," she said sternly. Callen nodded, his thoughts still with his family. They were safe. Thank God, they were safe.

/

"Can we get a visual?" Sam asked storming into the tech room. Nell turned to greet the large man, her bottom lip between her teeth, as Eric stayed transfixed on the tablet in front of him, pounding away on the tiny keys.

"All I have is this," he said pushing a video onto the screen. It started with something none of them ever liked seeing: one of their own on the wrong side of the interrogation table. Callen was looking into the opposite corner, his expression unreadable from the camera's angle. They watched the door open and Director Vance slowly walk in. The two locked eyes before the director calmly walked to the corner the camera was in and and turned it off, disabling the remote access. The feed ended there.

"We've tried to restore the connection, but it is completely shut down. Vance must of removed a wire after he hit the power button," Nell explained apologetically. Sam's strong jaw clenched.

"Where is Evelyn?" he asked.

"Kensi's with her and the kids at the safe house now," Deeks said as the doors slid open and he walked through. "I just did a sweep of the house and cars; everything is clean."

Sam nodded his head in thanks and relief. "That's one less thing we have to worry about," he said with a sigh. Now to deal with 99 more.

/

Callen and Director Vance locked eyes, the director still standing in the corner, unmoved since he broke the video feed.

"Agent G. Callen. You have an outstanding record, and would have some pretty respectable awards to go with it if every single case you took wasn't classified. You have successfully pulled off more long term aliases than any other agent in NCIS, the CIA, and FBI, and more short term ones than any department personnel combined. You have proved to Hetty and myself that you can be relied on to carry out tasks involving matters of national security, and your team is made up of the best of the best."

"You have 5 minutes to convince why I shouldn't fire you and throw your ass in jail."

_A/N~ :) I don't know about you guys, but I like this story! Thanks for sticking with it, and I promise to have more up soon! Please leave me a review and let me know what you think! I take story line suggestions, too!_


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N~ Wow, it's been a while. I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to get this out, but it's a long one and lots happens :) Prepare yourself, and please leave me a review!_

"Mommy, I'm sleepy," Seth whined into Evelyn's shoulder. Kensi turned her head quickly, pretending to check messages to avoid intruding on the mother-son moment. She also had no desire to be involved with the emotional outpour that was about to happen. As much as she loved Evelyn and the kids, she wished for a moment that Deeks would have stayed with the grieving family. He usually knew what to say.

"I know sweetie, lets get ready for bed, okay?" said Evelyn, trying her best to mask her voice, raw from crying. Seth nodded, and began walking back to the bathroom down the hall. Evelyn started to follow him before turning back to Kensi.

"Have you heard anything?" she asked tentatively, not sure if she wanted to know.

"You'll be the first person I tell when I do," Kensi promised, sitting down on the couch. It was going to be a long night. Deeks cleared Evelyn (and really, Callen's) house before he headed back to OPS, so they were safe. Physically. Kensi couldn't begin to imagine the emotional toll this was taking on her friend.

Evelyn nodded before following her son. After helping him get ready for bed in silence, she went into Natalie's room to check on the sleeping little girl.

"Mommy?" Seth's small tired voice asked, pulling her out of the room closing the door behind her, she bent down to Seth's level. "Will you tuck me in?" he asked.

"Of course baby, lets go," she cooed, taking his hand and leading him to his car themed room. Tears welled up in her eyes for the millionth time that day as she remembered Callen and Seth painting the walls together, and her coming in after they went to get ice cream as a reward for their twenty minutes of hard work to finish the job. She hadn't been able to make herself fix the spot where her two favorite boys got in a splatter paint fight. The thick drops had dried to the wall, leaving darker, uneven patches, and she loved it.

"Mommy, when is daddy coming home?" Those six words broke Evelyn's heart.

"Goodnight buddy," was all she could whisper back to him, kissing his forehead and closing the door. Based on the look Kensi was giving her, she must look like a mess. Walking past the couch into the kitchen, she pulled out two wine glasses and a bottle. She set the three items down in front of Kensi on the table and took a seat next to her on the couch.

"Can you tell me what you do know? All you've told me is that he's not in any physical danger, and that people are asking him questions. Kensi, I need to know," she pleaded with the agent. "I need to know how bad this is."

"It's bad," Kensi said, dropping her eyes to her glass' rim, smoothing her finger over the edge. "A man, someone we've been tracking for a while, popped up on our radar and killed two of our operatives. Callen shot him," she said. "Unprovoked."

Evelyn dropped her head. "Oh, Callen," she whispered.

/

_Still with V_, the text from Deeks read. Kensi gave a mental groan.

_Thanks_

_How are they?_

_How do you think?_

She could almost see him rolling his eyes at her snippiness.

_I don't know how to make it hurt less, _she sent.

_We don't know if there's reason for it to hurt. If Vance wanted Callen in jail he would have let him stay with LAPD._

_Either way you slice it, he killed a man. She's going to handle that differently than we do._

_Ev is coming back, text me when you have news,_ she added before shoving her phone in her pocket before the other woman saw it.

Accepting the wine glass (though she wished it was something a little stronger), Kensi prepared herself for explaining all she could to Evelyn.

"Did he do it because of us? The kids and I, I mean?" she asked after the information sunk in. Kensi held her tongue since it looked like the woman had more to say.

"When he came to me about going to the safe house, he was scared, and so adamant that we were careful. Was this man going after us? Callen is in jail because of me?"

"No! No, Evelyn listen to me. Callen made a choice, and no one knows exactly what happened yet. I haven't gotten a chance to talk to him, and neither has anyone on the team for that matter. All I can tell you is that his number one priority was keeping you, Seth, and Natalie safe, because he loves you guys. A lot, okay?" God, why couldn't Deeks be here? Kensi hadn't any clue what to say or do; she was pretty sure her response didn't answer Evelyn's question either.

Thankfully, both women forgot what they were discussing when Kensi's phone started to vibrate. They were frozen for a beat before Kensi whipped it out and answered it, her voice a breathless 'hello.' Next to her, Evelyn had shifted her entire body to face her and wouldn't take her eyes off her face.

"Put Evelyn on," came Callen's voice.

/

"Would you stop?" Sam growled at the male tech, his usual calm and easy going demeanor replaced with a harsh, impatient tone. Not that Eric could blame him, it was stressful enough to have your partner being questioned by the director. He supposed the imposing man didn't need a paper football hitting the back of his neck every few minutes as well.

"Sorry," he squeaked, avoiding Sam's glare and both Nell and Hetty's disapproving looks. The four, plus Deeks, went back to a stifling silence.

The two agent and two techs looked at each other confused as Hetty slowly stood and squared her shoulders, facing the door. Soon, they too hurried to scramble to their feet as the doors suddenly slid open and Director Vance walked through the room.

"I should throw him back to LAPD, and you along with him," Vance said, only acknowledging Hetty's presence in the tense room. "But I'm not. **Don't** relax yet!" he warned sternly as everyone (except for Hetty, of course) let out a deep breath, and small smile. They all snapped back to attention.

"Agent Callen (they all were grateful to hear that he was still 'agent') has been put on a two week suspension, no pay. He left a few minutes ago to go back to his family, whom I understand have been secured?" His voice dared anyone to say otherwise. "I strongly discourage contact between any of you and Agent Callen until this mess has been cleared up in Washington. If your luck hasn't run out yet, it will be before he get back in two weeks. And Henrietta, we need to talk." With that, the director turned on his heels and left the agents behind, stunned. While the were still in shock, Hetty slipped out and followed Director Vance to her desk.

The first one to break the silence (naturally) was Deeks. With a small laugh. Not one of humor, like he normally did, but one of relief. Soon, Nell and Eric joined with him, and Sam broke into a smile. They just might be okay.

/

The sound of a car pulling into the driveway was what made Evelyn throw the door open and run out. Callen was still stepping out of the door when her body hit his with full force, and he clung to her like the lifeline she was. No words were exchanged between the two; for that moment, they were more than content with just holding one another, having that physical reminder that the other was safe. Tomorrow they could talk.

Kensi took Callen's arrival as her cue to leave, and with a quick goodbye she slipped out while they were coming inside. Once the door was closed behind them, Callen pulled her into his arms again. He absentmindedly ran his hand up and down her back, and she fisted her hands in the back of his shirt.

"I'm going to check on the kids. I need to make sure - to see for myself . . ." he started, his voice betraying the fear and tension still inside of him. He needed proof his son and daughter were okay. Evelyn nodded.

"Of course, go," she said, pulling back to let him have a moment with the kids. They started down the hallway together; he turned right for Seth's room and she headed straight for theirs. He came into the room as she was changing into a teeshirt (one of his, as usual) to sleep in. Taking her hand first, he pulled her against him, his hands roaming her perfect figure. She tilted her head upward to meet his lips, and the two lovers continued their reassurance they were both physically okay.

/

Callen woke up with the sun, relieved to note Evelyn's body tangled around his. She was still with him. Her peaceful face as she slept was impossible to tear his eyes away from, and he took solace in this moment where everything was quite and he had his girl. More than content to focus merely on holding, Callen warded off thoughts of the conversation that was to come. He killed a man. The law had forgiven him, but did she? Could she?

"I still love you." Her words were muffled as she was speaking into his chest, and for a fleeting moment he assumed he had just imagined it. "I always will," she said, stronger this time. She lifted her head up to look at him, locking their eyes together and silently pleading that he believed her. "You are a good agent, a good father, and a good man. I want you by my side to protect and raise Seth and Natalie with me because you are the only man who can. I love you, they love you, and I know that you love us, too. That makes everything worth it, don't you agree?" Tears were in the impenetrable G. Callen's eyes by the time she finished. Evelyn had maneuvered onto his lap as she talked, and grasped his face with both her hands, making it impossible for him to look away.

What on earth did he do to deserve someone as good as her? Someone who understood him, thought what he thought, knew what and who he was, yet loved him and wanted to share a life with him anyway. He nodded.

"Yeah, I agree," he whispered back in a thick voice. He picked up her hands, kissing the top and each finger, lingering on the fourth on her left hand. "We're worth it."

/

"I really am not supposed to be here right now," Kensi said warningly, even as she settled into Callen's car. He said nothing as he pulled out of the parking spot in front of her apartment and drove onto the main road.

"Have you decided on a place yet?" she asked, changing the topic to something more happy - they all needed that nowadays.

"I've got a few in mind, and thank God they are all within five miles of one another," he said. As excited as he was, he still wasn't a big shopper. This could turn out to be a long day for the both of them. He passed her a list of the stores he wanted to go to. Kensi raised an impressed eyebrow.

"Wow, pretty confident there, eh?" she joked, but he could tell reservations were still there. _Callen's gone through enough_, she thought. _It would really suck for him to add another bad thing to his list._

Callen only smirked. "We've touched on it a time or two," he supplied cryptically.

"And neither of you thought to tell me?" she nearly yelled in disbelief. Kensi snorted. "This place starts at more than I pay per _year_ on my car, and has a strict no return policy," she reminded him.

"I have enough saved up to get through that part, and have no intention of ever returning it," he retorted, his voice seeped in confidence. Kensi could see something under his subdued exterior though, and that something made her understand a little more what was going on. He was joyful, and he was in love.

"Alright then, I guess you should only buy one engagement ring anyway, so lets get to it!"

Four hours later, Callen was dropping his head into his hands and rubbing his face for the umpteenth time as Kensi's head was lying on the clear glass counter of the sixth jewelry store.

"It didn't even occur to you to look at some designs online so you would have some idea of what to look for here?" Kensi asked, annoyance all over her face and tone.

"I kinda thought I would walk in, see one, and immediately think, 'that's her' and be done," he defended.

"What about this one? It's beautiful," Kensi supplied, though her voice had lost the excitement it had held when they first started.

"I don't want one just because it's gorgeous, I want one that is her. I mean, it will be gorgeous, but I just haven't seen one that makes me think of her yet."

"That was really cute the first time we had this conversation, but now you are starting to piss me off. They're all starting to look the same anyway" Kensi deadpanned. Callen lifted himself up and walked away to a counter he was sure they already looked at twice before.

"Sir, I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but unless you are going to make a purchase, I need to ask you to leave," the store manager said with fake regret. Callen sighed, though wasn't too surprised. They had been just walking around the store looking for nearly an hour. "There is a Jared two blocks down the street; you may find better luck there."

Callen shook his head.

"Kay Jewlers? The Diamond Celler? Leo Alfreds? LA Rings? Single Stone?" Callen shook his head to all of them. Could there be anywhere else (that wouldn't put him out of house and home) where he could get a freaking ring?

Driving back down the road with Kensi was disappointing. They had both (one obviously a bit more than the other) wanted a different outcome. Kensi's gasp caught Callen's attention, but before he could ask what it was, she pointed to a building they were coming up quick on.

"That's where Sam got his ring!" she yelled, the bubbliness from earlier coming back to her suddenly. She had a good feeling about that place.

"You didn't think to tell me that's where my best friend got his wife a gorgeous ring when we first started?" he said, exasperated.

"You didn't think to ask your best friend where he got his ring before looking for yours?" she countered.

Sharply pulling into the parking lot, they both hopped out of the car. Neither of them voiced their suspicion that this was it, though they really weren't superstitious people. Callen's initial hope for the place was suddenly squashed the moment they walked in. It would take them hours to just walk through all of it!

"Wanna come back tomorrow?" Kensi asked too hopefully, but Callen refused.

"I told Evelyn I had to do some paperwork stuff at the office before the suspension goes into effect - she'll think something's gone wrong if I say I have that two days in a row." With that, Callen walked to the nearest counter and began to scan, losing more and more encouragement by the minute. Nothing even snagged his interest for a second longer than it took to look the ring over. By the look of sheer boredom on Kensi's face, she was feeling the same way.

"Look, Callen, I know you wanted to get it today and all, but -" She was appalled when he lifted his hand in a silence motion. She was here to help...

"Kensi," he breathed. Her annoyance and lost patience forgotten, Kensi was at his side in two steps, taking in the expression of amazement in his face.

"Which one?" She could barely contain her excitement.

"Guess," he challenged, gesturing to the case. It took her a moment, but when she saw it, she knew, just like he said he would. Kensi gasped, her hand covering her mouth in shock as she fought back tears.

"It's perfect," she whispered.

"It's Evelyn."

/

He had to do it now - forget the dinner and wonderful plan he had set up for tomorrow - it wasn't soon enough. Now was perfect.

It was Thursday night, and they had taken a family trip to the beach all day. Picnics, water fights, the whole nine yards. Now they were talking down the banks altogether, Seth helping Natalie walk a few paces in front of them as Callen and Evelyn hung, holding hands as the water washed around their ankles. Watching her hair blowing away from her face, the sunset right behind her, Callen subtly reached in his pocket for the little box he had been carrying around since he bought it six days ago.

A soft yank on her had as she took another step forward made her realize Callen had stopped. "What," she asked with a smile. She was so breathtaking that combined with his slight nerves, he couldn't speak for a moment. Instead, he kept her hand in his and dropped to one knee.

"Callen," she breathed, tears already starting to cloud her vision.

"Evelyn, I love you," he began. "You've made someone as broken and jaded as me whole again, you've given me a family, and you've given me something to hold onto. I want nothing more than to have you, Seth,and Natalie forever." He opened the small box to show her the beautiful diamond. She gasped, and the tears she was holding back spilt.

"Evelyn Franks, will you marry me?"

Just as she open her mouth to respond, Seth's voice grabbed their attention. "SAY YES MOMMY!" he yelled, awkwardly running towards them as he tried to carry Evelyn. The biggest smile Callen had ever seen donned her face as she nodded.

"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, yes, YES!" And with that, he quickly slipped the ring onto her finger and stood to kiss her as passionately as appropriate for the location. Callen lifted up Seth and Evelyn took Natalie when the two made their way to their parents, and the four stood ankle deep in the water, wrapped up in the perfect that was their family.

_A/N~ One more chapter to go! I'm going to wrap this story up soon, but it's been a fun (long) run. I hope you're enjoying the unfolding of events, and that the tie in to the season finale is acceptable :) Make sure to review, please!_

_xoxo_

_fanatic218_


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N~ Yay! Here is the final chapter! I am so sorry it has taken this long to update, and you probably will not believe me if I say that this is the first time since my last update that I've gotten the chance to write, but it's true. As much as I've loved writing this story, I'm glad to be done and be able to move on with some of my other ideas. Who knows, maybe I'll throw in some one-shots to tie into this one since I love it so much!_

"_Have I told you how much I love you yet today?" Callen asked as his arms closed around his wife's middle and pulled her closer to him._

"_Considering that it's 12:03, then no, I don't think so," she replied, a small smirk on her glowing face._

"_Hmm, in that case..." Callen started, his lips descending upon hers, only to change direction at the last second to touch her cheek and pull back._

"_I love you." He repeated the motion, this time kissing her nose, eyelid, chin, the corner of her mouth. Finally, he caught her lips as he simultaneously lifted her into his arms, taking delight in her squeal of surprise but ignoring the other hotel guests in the lobby._

_Suddenly, Evelyn's arms around his neck went slack, and he felt sometime wet on his shirt. Callen opened his eyes and zeroed in on the red spreading across the fabric of her white dress, the life literally draining out her._

"NO!" he screamed, shooting straight up in bed, drenched in sweat. His mind ignored all his distress training and replayed his previous vision over and over again. A small hand on his cheek brought him back to the present.

"Callen?" Evelyn repeated. She was taken back by the raw pain in his eyes when he finally lifted his head to look at her. Gently caressing his jaw and muttering soft words of comfort to her fiancé, Evelyn was patient as his breathing began to even out.

"What was it about?" she asked. Callen shook his head before she finished, and a beat later, his lips were on hers, kissing her passionately, as if he were afraid it would be their last one. It brought tears to her eyes, reminding her of their kiss in the park not too long ago.

"I don't want to talk," he whispered as he dove back into her, and she couldn't object.

/

Callen held her in arms and watched as she slept, the pale glow of the moon coming in through the window and hitting her breathtaking face. He wanted to sleep, but was too afraid of closing his eyes. Of seeing her blood. Of loosing the love of his life.

That phrase had always seemed funny to him. How could you possibly know, in a world of nearly 7 billion people with so much mistrust and people pretending to be someone they weren't (which he did it for a living) that you had found the one person that was supposed to make you happy for the rest of your life? Now he got it. He needed Evelyn like he needed air. Seth and Natalie too. He couldn't believe he had wasted so much time avoiding the thought of having a family, but then again, if he hadn't, would be here with the three most important people in his life now?

Evelyn shivered slightly in his arms, prompting him to hug her tighter to his body and pull the comforter more securely over her bare shoulder. She was here, safe, and with him - that's all he wants. He told himself he would deal with the rest in the morning as he lay completely down with her.

/

"Hey, you ready to work on the wedding stuff?" Evelyn said as she slid the eggs onto his plate. It happened to be a Friday they both had off and the kids still had school and day care, so the couple was looking forward to having an entire day to themselves.

"Yep. So we've got the place booked and the food done, what else did we need to do?"

"All the filing for the wedding license stuff with the state, and I think that's it," she said cheerily.

"Well in that case..." he said, sweeping the papers off the kitchen table with one arm and chuckled as her eyes widened in disbelief. "Hetty took care of those for my cover. You're marrying Gregory Callen, pharmaceutical salesman, not G. Callen, federal agent, remember? I have no idea what my fake tax bracket is."

"Ah, that's right. My wonderful husband-to-be buys and sells drugs for a living," she said with a laugh.

"Still sounds better then shoots people," Callen said shrugging. Evelyn clapped him behind the head.

"You're good for a lot more than that," she chastised. "Though I wonder if Gregory is a less messy eater," she said brushing toast crumbs around his plate into her hand and wiping yoke off his chin. They both laughed and Callen caught her hand before she could pull it away and nibbled on her fingers, licking them off.

"If those papers are done, them we've got the rest of the day to ourselves..."

/

"All I'm saying is that though it is a tradition, it's fun to be outside the box. Follow the unbeaten path, ya know?"

"Kensi, I am still going to throw a bouquet. And I am still going to throw it right at you," Evelyn called from behind the changing room door. It was the final dress fitting, with the wedding less than a week away.

"Really? Really, Evelyn? I drive you all around town to look for a gown, submit to that awful pale green color for the bridesmaid's dress, and this is how you repay me?" Kensi joked. The door of the changing room swung open the Evelyn stepped out. Tears pricked Kensi's eyes.

"What am I talking about? It's your day - throw the bouquet where ever you want, as long as you don't actually expect me to get married though. You look beautiful by the way. I'm not going to get used to seeing you in that dress." Evelyn smiled shyly as she examined herself in the mirror, smoothing out a small wrinkle in front.

"Oh, dear, you look magnificent. We'll take care of those little wrinkles before you leave with it today. My, my, just splendid," the overzealous sales associate said, clapping her hands together and walking away, muttering to herself.

"Splendid, just splendid," Kensi mocked, rubbing her hands together in the same fashion. Evelyn's hand covered her mouth to keep from laughing too loudly.

"I don't want to take it off," she sighed.

"So no cold feet on your end, I presume," Kensi guessed, noticing the dreamy look in her friend's eyes. Evelyn shook her head feverishly.

"Nope, none at all. He's the love of my life and a father to my children. I'm ready to spend the rest of my life with him, no question about it. And if he's being honest with me, there's no cold feet on his side either." Suddenly, she remembered the week before with the terrible dream that had him bolt upright in cold sweat in the middle of the night and frowned.

"Except..." Kensi prompted.

"We both want this, and we're both ready for it no doubt, but we're both scared not about actually being married, but what it would mean for his job, you know? I guess I'm already holding my breath until he gets home every night, but he's afraid that with all the legal stuff associated with marriage, people who want to hurt him can find me, that I'm a target. Or the kids. We know Hetty took care of all the paper work so it can't possible trace back to him, but you know how he gets sometimes."

"You mean how he plant to put the entire church on lockdown to have it combed for everything from bombs to explosives, and has posted an agent at every sort of entrance the day of and before the wedding?" Kensi offered.

"Yeah, that," Evelyn said with an eye roll.

"He really loves you, you know."

"I know."

/

"Hello beautiful! Look at you, little princess!" Kensi gushed over Natalie in her tiny flower girl dress. After a few tries at the dress rehearsal, they figured that they could get Natalie to walk down the isle to daddy and forgo the flowers.

"Do I look good too, Aunt Kensi?" Seth asked as he pulled on the skirt of her dress to get her attention.

"Good? Seth, you are the most handsome man I've ever seen!" she cooed, loving that the kids were calling her "aunt" now. Seth shook his head though.

"No, daddy looks weally han-somer."

"Though it is true that your father looks rather dashing today, I believe all eyes will be on your mother, don't you?" Hetty said as she stepped into the large prep room. Evelyn turned at the sound of the older woman's voice, giving her a large smile. Hetty smiled back.

"Would the three of you mind giving us a moment?" Hetty asked turning to Kensi and the kids. Shaking her head, Kensi led them out to see where Deeks was getting ready and taking pictures.

Finally alone, Hetty walked over to Evelyn. Even after their first visit, the two had developed a close bond, probably based around their affection for a certain man.

"Typically, the mother of the bride would offer this, but as it turns out, I've taken the liberty myself." She then pulled out a long box and handed it to Evelyn, who gasped upon opening it.

"Hetty..."

"Something borrowed, something blue," was all the woman said with the flick of her wrist.

"It's beautiful. Can you help with the clasp?" Hetty smiled as she took the sapphire necklace from the box and stood behind the bride (who of course had to almost sit down) to loop the necklace over the head and secure the clasp.

"May I ask where you got this?" Evelyn said, aware that Hetty played a close hand.

"It was a parting gift from Castro in 1972. What a charming, horrible man," Hetty said with a shake of her head.

/

Giving a thumbs up to Seth and Natalie as they made their way down the short isle, Callen stole a quick glance to Sam, his best man, standing beside him in his navy blues. Sam's lips curved up and he jutted his chin towards the front of the church. Callen's head immediately snapped forward as the music started and his breath caught in his chest.

She was a vision. Absolutely breathtaking - Callen found his mouth was dry and he could focus on nothing in the chapel but her. Finally able to take her hand in his and look her straight in the eyes, Callen and Evelyn did not look away from one another the entire ceremony. After exchanging the "I do's," Callen dipped her for the kiss and a loud applause from the small list of attendees.

/

"Oh, Hetty," Evelyn said, struggling to keep the tears at bay. They were happy tears though, and eventually she decided to just let them fall. Callen, too, was having a hard time remaining composed himself as he looked at the stack of papers the older woman had wrapped so elegantly as their wedding gift. Hetty said nothing, just gave that knowing smile, as the two newly weds held each other tightly and Callen wiped the tears off of his new wife's beautiful face.

"What is it?" Deeks whispered to Kensi, who was also uncharacteristically choking back some waterworks herself.

"Papers confirming the adoption," she replied, hugging the sleeping baby to her chest.

"We're really a family now," Evelyn whispered to him, a smile in her voice.

_A/N~ Finally! I'm sorry that took so long to put up the last chapter, but the wait is all over. Sorry about the kinda abrupt ending - honestly, I was just done with the story. I loved it, but completely lost motivation towards the end. Usually I offer to do some tie-ins or sequels, but I'm learning that my schedule is not very conducive to that. Sorry! Let me know what you think of the story - your reviews mean a lot!_


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